


Because of Alfred

by OtterxSorrel



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst, Child Canada, Child Germany, Child Italy, Child Romano, F/M, Kidnapping, Pirate England, Pirate France - Freeform, Pirate Prussia - Freeform, Pirate Spain, Pirate Uk, Romance, Sirens, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-07-28 08:43:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 22,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7633087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OtterxSorrel/pseuds/OtterxSorrel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You were sent back in time by your best friend, Alfred. Along the way, you meet various pirates. Will you change the course of history?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started this story about three years ago. So you can probably see how different my writing is between some chapters.

"Alfred don't be joking me here.", you said into the phone. "________, trust me. It works. I've tried it myself.", the American said loudly, as always. "How far back did you go?",the (e/c) girl questioned. "1932.", the blonde replied. "Any proof?", she questioned. "Come over and I'll show you!", Alfred answered. "Fine.", she sighed, "Be there in a bit." "Great!", the obnoxious man exclaimed. You snapped your phone shut, setting it on the table.

You stood up and made your way to your room to change. Undressing from your pajamas, you changed into a light gray t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and (f/c) running shoes and threw on a (f/c) hoodie. You put your anklet around your right ankle, the charms from your friends dangling from the chain. You pulled your (h/l) (h/c) hair back in a ponytail and walked out of your room. You called to your Pit Bull, Gilbert. The beautiful black Pittie came running. You grabbed your cell phone and truck keys and exited the house with Gilbert.

After making sure your door was locked, you made your way to your truck with your loyal friend. You opened the back door of your truck and helped Gilbert climb in. You shut the door and climbed into the driver's seat.

You reached your best friend's house an half hour later. You got out of your truck and opened the door for Gilbert and made your way up to Alfred's door. You knocked on the door and heard running footsteps. The door opened to a very happy and excited Alfred. "Hey, _______! Glad you can make it! Hey there, Gilbert!", Alfred greeted. Gilbert barked returning the greeting, causing you two to laugh. He stepped aside, letting you two enter. While your Pit Bull went and laid on Alfred's couch, Alfred shut the door and dragged you to his bedroom.

You sat on his bed and he brought over a necklace, sitting beside you. It had a silver chain and a red ruby heart pendent. "This is the time traveling device.", Alfred explained. He took out a calculator looking device out of his pocket. "You put the year you want to go to in this and press the enter key and whoever is wearing the necklace would be taken to that year. But if the remote and necklace are in two different years, you have to wait two months before you can use the necklace to go back to your original time.", he finished.

He set the remote on the bed and handed the necklace to you. You looked over it carefully. Alfred rested his head on his shoulder and his hand on the bed, accidentally hitting the remote.

You were blind for a moment and then your sight returned. You looked around. You were in an alley, near the docks. Then your long forgotten phone rang. "How the hell do I get calls?!", you exclaimed quietly. You quickly answered, "What the hell Alfred?!", you exclaimed quietly. "Dudette, calm down and listen. So you're in the sixteen hundreds. Don't get killed or kidnapped. Don't lose that necklace. It's your only way home. And your phone is going to have to last two months.", Alfred explained.

"Alfred, you are dead when I get back!", you growled. "When you get back we'll do whatever you want. Just don't do anything to change history, ________.", Alfred replied. "Alright. How the heck do I get calls?", you asked. "I honestly don't know. Just make sure to call at least once a week, please, _________. And I'm really sorry for sending you back four hundred years.", Alfred said, sounding sad. "I will, Alfred. I'll talk to you next week.", you replied. "Okay, bye, ________. I'll miss you.", Alfred sounded like he was crying. "I'll miss you too, Alfred. Don't forget to take care of Gilbert. Bye, Alfred.", you sighed and ended the call. You turned the phone on silent and turned it off. You put the phone in your front pants pocket and slipped the necklace around your neck.

You left the alley into the bustling port. As you walked, you bumped into somebody. You looked up to see a man with messy blonde hair, green eyes, and large eyebrows. "I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going.", you quickly apologized. "No, no. That was my fault, love.", he replied. Then you realized you had begun walking with him. "So what is the name of the beautiful lady I have the pleasure of speaking to?", he asked. "__________(f/n) _____________(l/n). And what might your name be?", you replied. "Captain Arthur Kirkland.", he stated. "Captain, eh? Nice to meet you, Captain Kirkland.", you said. "And it's nice to meet you Miss __________(l/n).", Captain Kirkland replied, gently taking your hand in his, raising it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on your knuckles.

"Please, just call me _________(f/n).", you said with a smile. "Well then, __________, would you like to join me to the local pub?", Captain Kirkland asked. "It would be an honor to accompany you Captain Kirkland.", you answered, earning a chuckle from the Captain. "You don't seem very worried for someone who is walking with a pirate.", the Captain commented. You Shrugged. The pirate let out a chuckle. "You are quite strange, ________.", he added. You raised and eyebrow, "How so?" "You dress very oddly and you are walking willingly with a pirate Captain.", he replied. "I guess I'm just odd. But, I'm okay with that.", you said in response. The pirate Captain chuckled. "I see.", said the blonde haired man. 

The two of you reached the pub, and as you entered, a knife came flying in your direction. Your hand shot up and caught the blade between your index and middle fingers. By now, everyone in the bar had their eyes locked on you. You glared at the man who threw the knife. The only way you knew that he had thrown the knife was because his arm was still stretched out. You walked over to him, glaring, but had a sickeningly sweet smile on your face.

"I believe you lost something. You may not want to lose it again. Someone might not return it as nicely as I did.", you growled, turning the knife, blade down, and roughly sticking it in the table. With that, you turned on your heel and walked towards Captain Kirkland. The entire pub was quiet. Once you reached the pirate captain, you turned to face the man who threw the knife with a blank expression. He looked at you with a cold glare.

He slammed his hands down on the table and stood up. "What makes you think you can talk to me like that?", he snapped. "Who said that's what I thought?", you retorted. "Are you asking for a fight?", he growled. You shrugged. "No one said I am. No one said I'm not.", you replied in a bored tone. "That's it!", he snarled.


	2. Part 2

Some people started to quickly move tables and chairs. The bartender shouted, "Get that girl a sword!" Captain Kirkland handed you his sword. "Good luck, _______.", the pirate Captain told you. "Thank you, Captain.", the (h/c) girl replied. 

You turned and raised the sword as the man swung his sword at you. You blocked effortlessly. He turned and swung at her head. You ducked and managed to cut both of his lower legs. He clenched his teeth from the pain. You stood back up and he aimed for your abdomen. You blocked it easily. You swung at his head. When the swords clashed as he blocked, the sword flew out of his hand and stuck in the wall. Pointing the sword at his throat, she put herself between him and his sword.

His mouth was gaped open, along with quite a few other people, causing you to smirk at their reactions. You lowered your sword. Handing Captain Kirkland his sword, he led you to a corner booth. The pub got loud again, though most of them kept shooting glances toward the (e/c) eyed girl.

"You are quite the swordsman, _________.", the pirate Captain commented as you sat down. You shrugged. "My friend taught me.", you replied. He nodded. "What are you doing here in town anyway?", the Captain asked. "Not sure. I ended up here by accident.", you replied.

A little while later, the man you had fought came over to you. "I want a rematch!", he declared. You let out a sigh, "Fine." He walked away and people began to move tables and chairs. "Captain Kirkland, may I borrow your sword?", you asked. "Of course you may.", the pirate replied as he hand you his sword. 

The fight ended the same way it did the first time, his sword in the wall and you pointing your sword at his throat. "Pitiful.", was what you said before going back to your seat. You gave Captain Kirkland his sword. "Let's leave before you get into anymore fights.", the pirate Captain suggested, standing up. Captain Kirkland led you out of the pub. "Would you like to see my ship?", he asked. "Sure.", you replied, sounding excited. With a chuckle, he led you to the docks and up to his ship. 

"She's a beauty.", you commented. He smiled. and led her aboard. He showed you around and when they got to the brig, she saw somebody sitting in a cell. He was small, so you asked, "Is that a kid?" "Uh.....", he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "Yeah." You walked over and crouched beside the cell. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. "Hey, there.", you called softly. He looked up at you. He stood up and walked over to you. "Hi.", he replied. "What's your name? I'm _______(f/n) ________(l/n).", you said. "I'm Ludwig Beilschmidt.", he said in response as his stomach growled. Ludwig blushed. "When was the last time you ate?", you asked. "A couple days ago.", he replied quietly. "They haven't brought any food for you?", you questioned. Ludwig just shook his head. 

You spun around, angry. "Captain Kirkland! Why haven't you given Ludwig any food for two days?! You know what? I don't care. Get him something to eat!", you snapped. "You can't just te....', he began, only to have you cut him off, "Kid. Food. Now." Mumbling curses under his breath, he went to go see the cook. You turned back to Ludwig. "Thank you, Miss _________(f/n)!", he said. "It's nothing. Don't worry. I'll get you out of here, promise.", you whispered before the Captain came back.

After another couple minutes of talking to Ludwig, the Captain took you back up to the main deck. "Where do you plan on going next?", you asked. "England.", he replied. "Well, I should get going. Wouldn't want to keep you from your crew and ship.", you said, "Nice to meet you Captain Kirkland." With that, she turned and walked off the ship. As she walked through the bustling port, you realized you were being followed.

After a bit of walking, you were grabbed and pulled into an alley. You faced a guy with silverish-white hair and red eyes. He seemed to study you for a moment. "Pirate Captain Gilbert Beilschmidt.", he said sticking out his hand for you to shake. "________(f/n) _________(l/n).", you replied, taking his hand and shaking it. Keeping a hold of your hand, he pulled you back into the busy port. "Where are we going?", you asked. "My awesome ship.", he replied. "And what am I doing on your awesome ship?", you inquired. "Cooking for mein awesome but, not as awesome as me, crew and myself.", he said with a smirk. He let go of your hands and wrapped an arm around your shoulders.

He led you up to a ship, a big one at that. It looked nice, not as bad as Pirates of the Caribbean pass it off to be. He led you aboard and showed you around. He showed you the galley and Cook's quarters, which is where you would be sleeping, he had told you, unless you wanted to join him in bed. Captain Beilschmidt showed you his quarters and said, "Always knock before coming into mein awesome quarters."

He led you into his quarters and he sat behind his desk, telling you to sit as well. Sitting on one of the chairs in front of his desk, he began to speak, "I saw you at the pub earlier, fighting with Tom, one of my crew members, and I have to say, your skills with the sword are quite excellent." "Thank you Captain.", you said with a small smile. He gave you a small nod before continuing, "Since you are so good with the sword, when we engage in battle, you shall fight unless I say otherwise." You simply nodded. 

He sat back in his chair and looked at you with interested eyes. "Tell me about yourself, _______.", he said. "I'm not very comfortable explaining myself to someone I don't really know.", you said.

And that's when the worst thing that could happen at the moment, happened.


	3. Part 3

Your phone rang, playing Alfred's ringtone, Hero by Skillet. You closed your eyes and bit your bottom lip. "What is that?", Captain Belischmidt questioned. Opening your eyes, she dug her phone out of her pocket and held it up for the Captain to see. "What is that?", the pirate repeated. You hit a button, beginning the call. "This better be pretty damn important, Alfred.", you snapped with the phone on speaker. "No need to be so snappy!", Alfred shouted through the phone. The Captain stared wide eyed at the phone. "Well, you called when I was talking with Pirate Captain Gilbert Beilschmidt. Now you're going to have to explain this to him.", you growled.

"That can wait. Gilbert got hit by a car.", Alfred said. "What?!", you nearly shouted. "I was about to take him to the dog park we always go to when he burst out the door and in front of a really small car. The guy is paying for all the vet bills and x-rays. Luckily, Gilbert only has an incomplete fracture on his hind leg, so he should be up and around by the time you get back.", Alfred explained in an unusually serious tone. You let out a sigh of aggravation. "We'll talk about this later. Bye Alfred.", the (e/c) eyed girl growled. "Bye, ________.", your best friend replied.

You hung up with a sigh. Captain Beilschmidt was staring at her like she was holding a gun to his head. "What...What is that?", the Captain stuttered. "It's a phone. It can transport your voice to other phones so you can communicate with people at long distance.", you began. "It can also take pictures.", you went on. You took a quick picture of the Captain and showed it to him. 

He leaned forward and squinted at the picture. You handed him the phone. He inspected it closely, turning it every which way. When he was done, he handed the phone back to you. "I'm from four hundred years in the future. I'm stuck here for two months before I can go back.", you finished. You watched him comprehend what you had just said. "I'll let you think it over. Please, don't say anything about this to anyone.", you said, standing up to leave. Placing your phone back into your front pants pocket, you walked out the door.

Walking across the deck and down into the galley. You quickly made dinner, which was a soup you couldn't remember the name of. As if on cue, the crew poured below deck into the galley. They got in a single file line. You served them, a small smile on your lips. You received 'thank you's from all of them, except Tom. You filled another bowl and left the galley.

You walked walked across the large ship to the Captain's quarters. You raised a hand and knocked on the door. "Come in.", he called. You went inside. Captain Beilschmidt was still at his desk. "Hey, Captain. Brought you your dinner.", you said, handing him the bowl. He took the bowl from the (e/c) eyed girl. You turned to leave when the Captain said, "_______, wait." You turned back to him.

"Yes?", you replied. "Tomorrow, I want you to find out where and what port Kirkland is going to next.", Captain Beilschmidt instructed. "Aye, aye, Captain.", you replied. You left the Captain and went up on deck. By now it was dark so you went to your quarters. You laid on your bed and stared up at the ceiling. Maybe staying on this ship won't be too bad., you thought.

You were torn from your thoughts when the door opened. It was someone you really didn't want to see at the moment. Tom. "What do you want?", the (e/c) eyed girl growled. The brown haired pirate smirked. You narrowed your eyes at him. He reeked of alcohol and had a lustful glint in his eyes. Oh great!, you thought. You sat up, putting your feet on the floor. Tom started stalking towards you. Just as he lunged at you, you moved until you were standing on the other side of the room. He hit his head on the wall with a loud thud. He turned and glared at you. You just smirked. He had a big red mark on his forehead. 

As Tom lunged at you again, someone else came in. As he lunged at you again, you grabbed his wrist and flipped him. You glanced out the corner of your eye, only to see Captain Beilschmidt standing at the door. Looking down at Tom, you could tell he was unconscious. With a sigh, you looked up at the Captain. "Help me get him to the crew's quarters.", the pirate Captain ordered. Both of you grabbed one of his arms and threw them around around your necks. The two of you dragged him to the crew's quarters, where he was dropped on the floor and left.

"Come with me.", Captain Beilschmidt said, leaving the lower deck. With no other choice that won't end badly, you followed him. You saw him at the back of the ship, looking at the ocean. You walked across the deck, up the steps, and went to stand beside him. "Tell me more about the future.", he said, well, demanded. "I can't.", the (h/c) haired girl replied, "Some of the smallest information can change the future. I've changed the future enough since I've been here." "How?", he asked looking at you now.

"Take two steps to your left.", you said. Captain Beilschmidt did as you said with a questioning expression. Not two seconds later, a bullet whizzed between your heads. "You were supposed to be murdered tonight be an Italian guard.", you said.

Ever since you heard about Captain Beilschmidt in history class, you had liked him. Even after hearing about his many village raids that resulted in a large number of deaths. Every book you found about him, called him murderous and a monster. All the books said that he would kill for fun and that he would keelhaul any member of his crew for some of the smallest mistakes. No matter what you read, you had a feeling that they only remembered the bad things and exaggerated the things he had done. You felt that there was more to him then what was written in books. But, you still admired him, the reason wasn't something you were sure of.

"Good night, Captain Beilschmidt.", you said and went back to your quarters, this time locking the door. You laid on your bed and stared up at the ceiling. _Why did I do that? I'm not supposed to change history and yet I just saved a guy who was supposed to die tonight._ , you thought, _And why do I feel as if I forgot something?_


	4. Part 4

You woke early the next morning and made the crew breakfast. The crew came in almost as soon as you were finished. Right before you started serving, the Captain waltzed in. He moved to the front of the line. As you gave him a bowl of oatmeal, you greeted him, "Morning, Captain." "Morning, Frau.", the Captain replied, taking the bowl and going to one of the tables. You quickly served the other pirates. You stayed in the kitchen and ate. Afterwards the crew came in, dropping their bowls in the bucket of water. They gave compliments and 'thank you's before leaving, well, except Tom.

Though, one pirate stayed. He had red hair and green eyes. "Hey, lass. I'm Pete. Let me help you with those dishes.", he said and began washing the dishes with you. "Thanks.", you replied with a smile. He chuckled, "No problem, lass." "I'm ______ by the way.", you said, extended a hand towards him. Pete smiled and shook her hand. They went back to washing the dishes. 

"Pete! Quit fooling around and get back to your duties!", a voice shouted behind them, "Mein awesome ship doesn't take care of itself!" "Aye, Captain!", Pete said and left the galley. "Hey, Captain Beilschmidt.", you said, glancing over her shoulder at the albino Captain. He dropped his bowl in the water filled bucket. "Why?", he demanded. "Why, what?",you asked. "Why did you save the awesome me from the Italian guard?", the red eyed man questioned. You finished the last bowl and set it down, then turned to face him. "My motives aren't important. Just be happy that I kept you from getting shot.", you replied and left the galley.

You walked across the deck and off the ship, heading for Captain Kirkland's. After a while, you managed to find a his ship. You walked down the dock to stand beside the ship. You saw Captain Kirkland barking orders at his crew. Why am I doing this? Oh yeah, I don't want to get keelhauled before I can go home., you thought. "Excuse me lassie.", someone said, breaking her from her thoughts. You saw a man who looked like Pete, just a bit taller. "Oops, sorry.", you said and moved out of his way. He gave her a small smile and walked past her, onto the ship. 

He returned a few moments later. "What are ya doing standing around by a pirate ship? Or did ya not know it was a pirate ship?", he laughed. "Oh, I knew. I'm here to see Captain Kirkland.", you replied, chuckling a bit yourself. "I'll take ya to him. I'm Allistor by the way. What's your name, lassie?", the red haired pirate responded. "_______.", the (h/c) haired girl replied. He slung his arm around your shoulders and lad you aboard. Allistor led her across deck to where the Captain was yelling orders. "Capt'n, someone's here to see ya.", Allistor said. "Allistor, get back to work!", Kirkland snapped.

"See ya later lass.", he said and walked away, grumbling to himself. "Hello, _________. What brings you here?", Captain Kirkland asked, turning to the (e/c) eyed girl. "Hey, Captain.", you replied, "I was wondering what port you were going to in England. My parents said we were going there for a bit." He replied after a moment, "Queens port." "Hopefully, I'll see you! I best be going now Captain. Bye!",you said and skipped, yes skipped, off the ship.

"Hey lassie! You gonna leave without telling me 'bye', first?", a voice called from behind you. You stopped and and saw Allistor walking towards you. "Don't tell me ya forgot about me lass.", he chuckled when he reached you. "How could I forget about you?", you laughed. "Bye Allistor.", you gave him a quick peck on the cheek and walked away. "I'll get ya next time lassie!", the green eyed pirate laughed. You smiled and began to head for Captain Beischmidt's ship.

Once you returned to the large ship, you looked around deck for the Captain. You didn't find him on deck, so you went to his quarters. You knocked on the door and heard a muffled 'come in' from the other side. You opened the door and went inside. Captain Beilschmidt was at desk, as usual. "Queens port, England.", you said. He gave a slight nod. As he started writing something down, he said in a stern tone, "I will not tolerate anymore disrespect, Frau. I hope that is understood." "Aye, Captain.", the (e/c) eyed girl replied. "Good.", he said, standing from his desk, "Come with me." You followed him off the ship and to a black smith's.

By the time the two of you began to walk back to the ship, you had a sword, pistol, and a belt to hold the weapons and ammunition. On the way back, Captain Beilschmidt flirted with the passing women. Every time you would just roll your eyes and keep walking. As you walked alone, someone grabbed your wrist. Your other hand flew up to the hilt of your sword as you spun around.

"Found ya lassie.", he smirked. "Hello again, Allistor.", you laughed. "What's with the belt and weapons?", he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Cant' say.", you replied. "What are ya know? A pirate?", he questioned. "You got me!", you laughed. "Come with me. I know where we could get you some more appropriate clothes.", the green eyed man said and started dragging you down the street. You chuckled and let yourself be dragged by the pirate. Allistor pulled her into a building that looked to be abandoned. It was kind of dark inside, but there was just enough light to see. It was a small pub. 

It was empty except two men who stood behind the bar. They looked up as the two of you approached. "What do you want, Allistor?", the one with black hair growled. "Ignore Simon. What can we do for you Allistor?", the shorter man, with blonde hair, said. "We need to make my friend her look less like that and more like a pirate.", Allistor replied, gesturing to you. "Is she a new addition to Rosevetta's crew?", Simon asked. "No. Rosevetta isn't even in port.", Allistor replied. 

For the next few minutes, the continued to talk about an asortment of things. You found out that the man with blonde hair name was Ian. "Come with me, doll.", Ian said and jumped over the bar. He grabbed you hand and started pulling you to a door at the back of the pub, Allistor and Simon following. In the end, you were dressed in a baggy dark (color) shirt, black pants that were tucked into your brown boots, which had a strap on the inside for a knife or dagger.

At the moment, Ian, Simon, and Allistor were trying to figure out which crew you belonged to, since you refused to tell them. "Bonnefoy?", Ian asked. "Not in port.", Allistor replied. "Carriedo?", Simon said in his gravely voice. "He's not in port either.", Allistor grumbled. "So far we've ruled out Rosevetta, Kirkland, Bonnefoy, and Carriedo. What about Beilschmidt?", Ian replied. "He is in port.", Allistor said. All three turned to you. "Is it Beilschmidt?", Allistor asked. You nodded. Ian forced you into a silver coat, much like one a Captain would wear. Then he buttoned the top four buttons and strapped your weapon consisting belt around your waist.

Then Allistor grabbed your hand and started dragging you out of the building. "Bye, Ian, Simon!", Allistor yelled before pulling her out the door. Once outside, Allistor pulled you into a quick kiss. When he pulled away, he smirked. "Told you I'd get you back, lassie.", he chuckled. You smacked him lightly on the arm. "Not funny.", you growled. The two of you turned to go back to Captain Beilschmidt's ship, only to see a very pissed Captain.


	5. Part 5

_Oh shit!_ , you thought. "_______, we're going back to the ship. Now.", Captain Beilschmidt growled. The albino Captain grabbed her wrist and started dragging her towards the ship. You sighed and allowed yourself to be dragged, again. You were dragged all the way back to the ship. Once on the ship, the Captain shouted to the crew, "Set sail!" Then continued to pull you to his cabin as the crew began to quickly work.

Captain Beilschmidt sat behind his desk with an irritated sigh. "When I said go back to the ship, that's exactly what you were supposed to do. Not go off and mess around with Kirkland's crew member.", the albino snapped, "I will not tolerate this kind of disobedience on mein Awesome ship!" "Yes, Captain.", you said. The pirate lowered his voice to a threatening growl, "I don't care that you're from the future. This is my ship and you do as I say. Do you understand?" "Yes, Captain.", you repeated.

"Good.", he said, "And from now on I want you to mop the decks when you're not working in the kitchen." "Aye, aye, Captain.", you replied. You were about to leave when the red eyed Captain added, "And _______, if you keep in misbehaving, I will have to punish you." "Yes, Captain.", you said and left. 

Once on deck, you saw Italy, now only a speck in the distance. You looked around before going below deck. You grabbed the mop and bucket of sea water and went back up to the main deck. You hummed quietly to yourself as you mopped. 

Over the course of the next few days, not much happened. Pete had become your friend and most of the crew had taken a liking to you. She had smacked a few of the crew members in the face with the bottom of the mop when they grabbed at you. Somehow, you had managed to get on better terms with the Captain. You normally left your silver coat in your quarters, along with your other clothes and your phone. You had found a dagger and kept it in the strap in your boot.

Right now you were eating dinner with the Captain. The noise of the surrounding crew wasn't too loud. "We were in port and i told mein bruder to stay on the ship with the cook. I left to go to the pub with mein somewhat awesome crew. When I came back, mein cook was dead and mein bruder was missing. I found a note on my desk, from Kirkland explaining mein cook's death and bruder's absence. He had killed mein cook and kidnapped mein bruder. So now that's why I'm hunting down Kirkland.", the Captain explained. "What's your brother's name?", you asked. "Ludwig, Ludwig Beilschmidt.", he answered. 

Now you really felt like hitting your head on the table. You and the Captain went into the kitchen. You began washing the dishes. "Come to my cabin when you've finished.", Captain Beilschmidt ordered before leaving the galley.

Not long after he left, the other pirates began to come in and put their bowls in the wash bucket. They gave the normal compliments and 'thank you's before leaving the galley. Pete stayed behind and helped you with the dishes. You two got the job done about twice as fast as compared to when you did it on your own. Afterwards, Pete went and gambled with the rest of the crew while you went to the Captain's quarters. You knocked on his door, hearing a slightly muffled 'come in' from the other side.

You opened the door and went inside. You saw Captain Beilschmidt laying on his bed, legs hanging off the side, without his coat or shirt, and his hat was resting on his desk. "You wanted to see me?", the (h/c) haired girl said as you shut the door behind you. He sat up and went over to his besk, then opening a drawer and pulling out a map. The Captain laid it out on his desk and you walked closer.

Captain Beilschmidt pointed to the port that they had been at while in Italy. "To get from here to here.", he began, his finger drifted from the Italian port to Queen's port in England, "Will take about two months. I say we should raid his ship while in port and afterwards leave the port." The albino Captain lifted his gaze from the map to you. "What's your opinion?", he asked, to your surprise.

"In all honesty, I don't think it's a good idea. Aside from the possibly be caught by Kirkland and his crew, you could be caught by British soldiers, which means you and your crew would be hanged for piracy.", you began, "With so many people around, you would more than likely get caught. What I suggest is instead of taking the more commonly used route, go around it. If we stay on course, we should meet up with him here.", you said, pointing to where the commonly used route bulged out to the side. "Doing so, it should only take a month. It's far enough away that we won't be caught by patrolling ships and if cannons are fired, no one on land would hear it.", you finished.

The Captain looked at her, impressed. Then he smiled, "Good thinking, Frau." You grinned, "Helping the Awesome Captain of the Awesome ship is my job."


	6. Part 6

You have been on a ship for seven days. Seven, long, boring days. You cooked, mopped, hit touchy-feely pirates in the head with the mop, washed dishes with Pete, nothing unusual. Though you had become a bit closer to Captain Beilschmidt, who now let her call him Gilbert when they were alone. 

Right now you sat up in the crow's nest. You came up here when you want time alone, meaning when she felt like avoiding the Captain. You was leaning against the mast, the pirate who was normally in the crow's nest, Charles, sitting beside you. "I had a dream about having a wife and children once. But I made the wrong choice of becoming a pirate and now those dreams are no longer worth dreaming about.", Charles sighed.

"I would've thought you would have joined Rosavetta's crew before this one.", the black haired man said suddenly. "Since her crew is made up of women." "Who is Rosavetta?", you asked. "Rosavetta is the only female Captain said to sail the seven seas. One of the most fierce Captains too. Most have heard of her, but for Captains who haven't aren't very lucky if they meet her. When that happens, it's almost like having a siren aboard. She would lure the Captain and even some of the crew onto her ship where they were used for several purposes and killed. Rosavetta would sink the ship afterwards and any remaining crew member with it.", Charles explained.

"You talk about it as if you had been there.", you commented. "Aye. I was there once. I was one of the few who weren't fooled by her angelic brown hair or sapphire eyes or innocent face. Behind that is as if Davy Jones rose from the sea floor and nested in her body. Anyway, after she lured the Captain and most of the crew onto her ship, cannon balls were shot towards the ship. The ship was sunk pretty quickly. Not long after the ship disappeared into the murky waters and Rosavetta's ship left my eye sight, Captain Beilschmidt happened to pass by. They hauled me on board and I explained what happened. He let my stay and I've worked on the crew ever since.", Charles replied.

"I have to admit, Rosavetta is very beautiful, though behind that angelic face, is the Devil's personal assistant.", the hazel eyed man added. "It sounds as if you were lucky to survive Rosavetta's attack.", you said. "Aye, I was. So far I've been the only survivor. Also if everyone refuses to go on her ship, she starts a battle, normally ending with her sinking her opponent's ship. They say she paints the walls of her ship in her victims blood. I guess they say that because she has a crimson ship.", Charles told you. "Wow.", you said, astonished with everything she had been told.

You looked over the ocean. "You better hope the Captain doesn't find you up here. He told you that you're not supposed to be up here. You could get hurt, you know.", Charles chuckled. You let out a couple laughs. "I know Charles, but were there's danger, there's excitement.", you replied. Charles laughed, "I agree with you there."

Looking out over the ocean, you saw a yellow speck. "Hey, Charles, what's that?", you asked, pointing to the yellow speck. Charles pulled out his telescope and focused it on the speck of yellow. "It's a..... Wait. How the hell did a bird get all the way out here?! A baby one at that!", the black haired pirate said, shocked. "Let me see.", you said. Charles handed you the telescope.

You peaked through the telescope. He was right. There was a little flying baby bird. Looking closely you could see something tied to each of it's legs. "Well, I'll be damned.", you muttered and handed the telescope back to Charles.

When the little bird finally reached you, it perched itself on your knee. You cautiously held your hand out to it. It nuzzled your hand and peeped happily, causing you to giggle. You reached forward and untied what appeared to be letters from the small bird's legs. There were names on each letter.

In neat beautiful calligraphy, was the name Captain Francis Bonnefoy. In sloppy, yet beautiful handwriting was the name Captain Antonio Fernandez Carriedo.

"_________? Are you in the crow's nest again?", the Captain of the ship called from below. "Shit.", you muttered, causing Charles to chuckle. "Maybe.", the (e/c) eyed girl called back. You looked over the edge and you saw the silver haired Captain staring back up at her. "How many times have I told you that you're not supposed to be up there?", the Captain said with a raised eyebrow. "I don't know.",you replied. "Are you ever going to listen when I say not to go up there?", he chuckled. _What is this? Twenty questions?_ , you thought. "Probably not.", you giggled. 

"Come on down, ___________.", the Captain ordered. "Alright.", you sighed. You placed the letters in your pocket and set the chick on your shoulder. "See ya at dinner Charles.", you said and went down the net.

As you walked over to the Captain, the little bird flew off from your shoulder to Gilbert's head. "Gilbird!", the Captain said happily. The Captain reached up on his head and pet the bird. You pulled the two letters out of your pocket and handed them to the Captain, who put them in his pocket. "I'll read those later.", he said.

"And, __________, tonight we're going on a raid. You'll be joining us.", Gilbert added. "Aye, aye Captain.", you replied, feeling somewhat reluctant. "All you have to do is make sure no one gets on the ship that isn't supposed to be on board and make sure everyone returns, okay.", he instructed. "Yes Captain.", you said.

You looked out at the sea, the unsuspecting town in sight. _Time to find out if his village raids are as bloody as the books and articles say._ , you thought.


	7. Part 7

You stood in front of the ship as you watched as the Captain and the crew slipped into the night, torches lighting their path. You held a dim glowing torch and watched them disappear into the darkness.

Within a matter of minutes, the scene looked like something out of a movie. Buildings on fire, the light of the blaze making it easier to see. Screams of men, women, and children filled the air, along with the ringing of gunshots. People were running wild with panic and terror. People were being shot and their bodies littered the streets. You couldn't help but to feel sorry for these people. You couldn't wait for this to be over. 

You remembered how mad the Captain had been after he read the letters from Captain Bonnefoy and Captain Carriedo. He was furious, yelling things like, "How dare he?!" and, "Poor kids! Kirkland shall pay!" You knew better than to go find out what he was going on about.

You were brought out of your thoughts by someone shaking you. You blinked and looked up slightly to see a red eyes looking down at you. "Are you okay, Frau?", he asked, his voice surprisingly full of concern. You just nodded in reply. Captain Beilschmidt looked at you for a few seconds before saying, "Alright. Let's get back on board." You nodded once again and followed the albino man back onto the ship.

As the men began to set sail once more, you went back to your cabin. You laid on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. _What have I gotten myself into?_ , you thought, questioning yourself. You sighed and soon drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Gilbert's P.O.V.

I woke in the morning with a slight headache, probably from the amount of rum I drank last night after the successful raid. I had had a small celebration with most of the crew. Only _________, Pete, and Charles had retired for the night.

I stood up and stretched, a small wave of dizziness came over me. As soon as it passed, I put on my shirt, coat, and weapon holding belt. I walked out of my cabin, across deck, and into the galley.

In the galley, the crew was eating and I didn't see ________ anywhere. For some reason I was slightly disappointed. "Has anyone seen our little cook?", I called to the crew. It went quiet very quickly. "We haven't seen her since last night!", Pete called.

I nodded slowly and the crew went back to eating. _Now where is our little cook?_ , I thought. I went to her cabin and peered inside. She wasn't there. I checked the kitchen. She wasn't their either. I went past the eating crew and went to the upper deck. I looked around and still didn't see her. "Where could she be?", I muttered to myself.

_The crow's nest!_ , I though suddenly. I went up to the mast and climbed up the net. I found her sitting, staring at the wood. "Are you okay, ________?", I asked her. She jumped a bit, apparently startled. "Yes, Captain.", she replied in an almost emotionless tone. I went over and sat beside her. 

"What's bothering you?", I said. She didn't reply. "Is it about last night's raid?", I asked. She nodded. With a sigh, I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "You can have the day off to work on feeling better.", I said, "You can stay in my cabin so you won't be bothered."

After a few minutes, I managed to get her to come down.

Your P.O.V.

You sat in the chair, as the Captain sat behind his desk, looking at you curiously. "_________, why did you agree to go on the raid?", he asked, suddenly. "Well, you did order me to go.", you replied bluntly. "Apart from that.", the Captain said. You didn't respond. You just stared at him with an 'Are you kidding me?' look. The albino male chuckled. Captain Beilschmidt leaned back in his chair, looking at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"It's not like I really had a choice in the matter.", you said. "Unless you count, going on the raid, or getting keelhauled.", you added. This only caused the albino to chuckle more. You just rolled you (e/c) eyes. "I'll see you later Captain. Got dishes to wash.", you said, standing from the chair you had been sitting in and made your way out.

Being the stubborn man he was, the Captain followed. "Have the rest of the day off, ________.", Captain Beilschmidt insisted. "No thanks.", you replied, being just as stubborn. "I will lock you in the brig so you will rest.", Gilbert threatened.

"Then that's exactly what you'll have to do.", you replied.


	8. Part 8

Captain Beilschmidt took hold of your wrist and pulled you across deck, passed the working crew. You just followed along, not resisting because it wouldn't change anything. He took you below deck and walked through the galley. After going through the galley, he led you through a small hallway, to the door at the end. The Captain unlocked the door and pulled her inside. 

"While you're down here, you can keep the kid company.", the albino muttered. "What's with you pirates and kidnapping children?!", you said, sounding exasperated. "I believe you have no right to speak right now.", Captain Beilschmidt said.

He opened the door of one of the cells and pushed you inside. "Last chance, __________", he said. "I'm still sticking to my answer.", you replied. "Alright then.", the Captain said, slamming the cell door shut. You just stood there with your arms crossed over your chest, watching the Captain with a defiant glare.

Gilbert took out his keys and locked the door and walked out of the room. He slammed the door shut behind him and you heard the sound of the door locking.

It was a bit difficult to see, since the only light source was a single porthole on the far side of the room. Across the room was a line of cannons with cannonballs stacked beneath the porthole.

You walked over to the far corner of the cell, furthest from the door, and sat down, leaning against the wall. Then a thought hit you. She turned and looked in the neighboring cell. There was a small figure huddled in the corner. "Hey.", you said softly. He turned and looked at you fro a moment before he slowly crawled across the floor. "Hello, Miss.", he said, his voice sounding weak. You felt your blood boil. "When was the last time you ate sweetie?", you asked, keeping your voice soft and gentle.

"About a week ago.", he whimpered. "Can I ask you what your name is?", you said, keeping your voice quiet to hide your fury. "Peter Kirkland.", he replied. You stood up and walked to the cell door. You pulled out the dagger you kept hidden in your boot. "What are you doing, Miss?", Peter asked. You picked the lock with the dagger, though you cut your hands a few times before finally managing to open the door. 

"I'll be back Peter.", you said, walking out of the cell to the door. Not even bothering with the lock, you kicked the door open and stormed out.

You walked into the kitchen and got some leftovers from breakfast, then returned to the brig. Sticking your hands through the bars, you handed the bowl to Peter. "Thank you so much Miss!", Peter said gratefully, taking the bowl and began eating. You turned and walked out to the main deck.

You looked around around, finding him with his back to you. "Hey, Beilschimidt!", the (e/c) eyed girl snapped, stomping towards him. Captain Beilschmidt spun around in surprise. His eyes widened slightly, but it was hardly noticeable, but you noticed. "How the hell-", Gilbert started, but wasn't able to finish because he was cut off by you, "You tell me why you have a kid in the brig, who hasn't eaten in about a week!", you snapped, your (e/c) eyes blazing with rage. You really had a soft spot for children.

By now the crew had stopped working and was watching the two of you. "Get back to work dummkopfs!", Captain Beilschmidt snapped before turning back to you. "What are you doing out of the brig?!", he growled. "And what are you doing starving a kid?", you retorted. The albino lowered his voice to a threatening growl, "Now you listen here, __________. I am the Captain of this ship and what I say, goes. Now, you get your ass back in that brig before a keelhaul you."

You turned and stormed back down to the brig.

You weren't sure why, but his words stung. Maybe it was because he was being nice to her before, but now was being ridiculously angry. You went back to the cells, pulling out your dagger once more. You picked the lock of Peter's cell. He had finished eating and looked up at her. "Thank you so very much, Miss!", he said gratefully. "Please, just call me _________.", you replied.

The (e/c) eyed girl gently picked Peter up, holding him with one arm, resting him on your hip. The little blonde haired boy wrapped his arms around her to keep from falling. You turned and walked out of the brig, your cut hands beginning to sting. You walked to your quarters and laid Peter in your bed, pulling the thin sheets up over his body. "Why did Captain Beilschmidt kidnap you?", you asked. "Because he was mad at my brother, Captain Arthur Kirkland.", the child replied.


	9. Part 9

You nodded. "Sleep now, Peter. You need some rest.", you said gently. "Okay Miss __________.", he yawned, snuggling into the thin sheeets and falling asleep. The (e/c) eyed girl quietly left the room, shutting the door behind you. You left the bottom beck, going back to the main deck. 

Oh how pissed you were at the Captain. You spotted the Captain giving orders to the crew and if looks could kill, Captain Beilschmidt would die nine times over. Your hands were bleeding, but you didn't notice. You were too angry to notice something as small as cuts on your hands, though the cuts weren't exactly shallow or small. They were bleeding quite a bit.

Just then, one of the crew members ran up from below deck, it was Smith, a big fellow with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. "Captain! The kid is gone!", he shouted. The albino male looked over. He did not looked please in any way, shape or form. "What do you mean gone?!", the Captain demanded. "He's not in the cell anymore.", the brown haired pirate stated. "How did you lose the kid?! Are you really that incompetant of watching a child?!", the pirate Captain snarled.

"He didn't lose Peter. He's in my cabin, asleep.", you stated casually. Captain Beilschmidt focused his glare on you. "Any why is that?", he growled. "Because it's nearly impossible to do so on a damp, smelly, hard floor. He'll get sick if he doesn't get the rest he needs. And the fact he hasn't been eating like he's supposed to doesn't help.", you retorted.

The man of the ship opened his mouth to say something, but you cut him off. "And, I don't want to find him in that cell again. If I do and I found out who did it, I will shoot them, no second thoughts." Captain Beilschmidt seethed with rage. "Apparently you don't know your place, ________. You are nothing more than a cook and never will be a position higher. Don't make me teach you your place.", he snapped. You knew he was talking about Forty Strokes, but you didn't care. 

"And you, Captain Beilschimdt, need to learn your place. Yes, I may be no more than a cook, but don't forget, I know things that you could only dream of knowing. I saved your ass. Don't make me kill it.", you retorted, earning surprised looks from everyone, including the Captain. 

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have lunch to make.", you said and went back below deck. You went to the kitchen and started lunch, working quickly.

While you prepared lunch, you heard three sets of footsteps approaching. "That is quite the interesting cook you have, mon ami.", one voice came drifting to her ears. You heard one scoff. "If only she would learn her place." "Normally you wouldn't hesitate to keelhaul someone who talked to you like that. What makes her different?", you heard the third one say. "She's helping me get Ludwig back."

You glanced over your shoulder as they made their way into the kitchen. "Oh great.", you muttered as Captain Beilschmidt walked in, along with two other Captains. And if the records from your time were correct, these two looked to be Captain Bonnefoy and Captain Carriedo. You quietly went back to cooking. "Now that I get a closer look at her, she is a belle fille.", a French accented voice said, Bonnefoy. _Belle fille? He called me beautiful? That was unexpected._ , you thought.

You didn't say anything, you just continued cooking. You felt hands slide around your waist and a chest press against your back. "And what might your name be, mon cher?", Captain Bonnefoy breathed into your ear. "Get the fuck off me before I hit you.", you growled. The French Captain only chuckled and said. "Feisty, non?" _That's it!_ , you thought. You spun around and hit him across the face with the hot spoon that you happened to have in your hand.

You turned and filled a bowl up with the soup you had made. The three Captains were stunned into silence. "Now, if you'll excuse me.", you said before heading to her cabin, just as the crew came down.

When you entered the room, you saw Peter sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Hey Peter.", you said, smiling at him. The blonde child looked over at you and smiled. "Hello, Miss _________.", he replied. "I brought you some lunch.", you said, walked over and sitting on the bed next to him. Smiling, she handed him the bowl. Peter happily ate, a smile on his face. You watched him eat, thinking about the Captain. 

Captain Beilschmidt. Why did it hurt so much that the two of you were fighting? Why? What made him so special that it would make your heart ache? You weren't sure what it is you were feeling, but you had an idea that making up with the albino Captain would make the ache go away. But you ignored it for now.

You were still pretty pissed at the Captain. For you, you would worry about taking care of Peter and making sure he was healthy, which, right now, he didn't show any signs of being sick. You could worry about getting back on Captain Beilschmidt's good side later. Peter mattered more at the moment. 

As the day went on, you mopped, made dinner, and washed dishes. Right now, you were sitting on deck with Peter and the crew. You sat beside Pete and Charles, Peter sitting on your lap, as you watched the crew gamble. After a few minutes, you took Pete to bed. You laid him in the bed and covered him with the thin sheets. You lightly kissed his forehead, probably due to motherly instinct, though you're only seventeen. "Sleep well, Peter.", you said softly. "Goodnight, Miss _________.", the blonde boy yawned just before falling asleep.

You smiled before leaving the cabin and walking up on the main deck. You walked over to the edge of the ship and leaned on the railing. The salty sea water splashed up and hit you hands, causing you to grit your teeth from pain. You looked down, and for the first time, you noticed the cuts on your hands. A small hiss escaped your lips due to the pain.

"You should get those cleaned.", a voice said behind you. You spun around and saw Captain Beilschmidt. He didn't look as angry as he did before. Captain Beilschmidt walked over and grabbed your wrist, then dragged you to his cabin. You just stumbled along behind him. You were in enough trouble as it is and you didn't need to make in worse by resisting.

After you were in his cabin, Captain Beilschmidt shut the door and went over to his desk. He pulled out a bottle of alcohol and went over to his wardrobe. He pulled out a few pieces of cloth, then walked back over to you. Captain Beilschmidt poured some alcohol on one of the cloths and set the bottle down, extending his now free hand out for one of hers. You slowly placed one of your hands in his. "This is going to sting.", the albino said. You just nodded. The Captain sighed and dabbed at the cuts, and to your surprise, he did so gently. You let out a low hiss from the pain and attempted to pull your hand away, but he held it fast. 

The albino Captain worked quickly, but gently. After he finished cleaning your hand, he carefully wrapped in in cloth. He then repeated the process with your other hand. When he finished, he asked, "Now, what the hell did you do to cut up your hands that bad?" "Picked the faulty lock with a dagger.", you replied nonchalantly, like you did that everyday.

Captain Beilschmidt sighed. "_______, I can't have you acting unruly like this. There are rules on the ship and you must abide by them, or else it was start resulting in worse punishments than locking you in the brig. I can't have my crew thinking that I've gone soft, especially now. I need to get Ludwig back, and I promised Francis and Antonio that I would help them get Matthew, Feliciano, and Lovino back." "I know, I know. But that's not an excuse to keep a little kid locked up in the brig, and not feed him for a week.", you replied, surprisingly calm. "He's a prisoner, not a member of the crew. He can't just be flouncing around on deck.", Captain Beilschimdt said in response. "But he's just a kid.", you said. "I know that, I'm not stupid. If you think that I don't feel guilty, you're wrong. I do feel guilty. But I can't just favor him just because he's a kid.", Captain Beilschmidt sighed.

You blinked. You hadn't expected him to feel guilty about it. _So the jerk does have a heart._ , you thought. "But you shouldn't go a week without feeding him.", you replied. "I know you're mad at me, but I can't let you act out like this. Next time, you're punishment will be worse than just being locked in the brig.", he said. You sighed. "Yes, Captain." Captain Beilschmidt smiled. "Good, now go get some sleep."

You nodded, then left and went back to your cabin. You crawled into bed, next to Peter, who was soundly asleep, and slowly drifted into a dreamless sleep.


	10. Part 10

In the morning, you woke and left your cabin, Peter still fast asleep. I wonder when was the last time he slept peacefully. , the (e/c) eyed girl thought as she moved to the galley. You started on breakfast with a yawn. You weren't sure why you felt so tired. Had you slept restlessly? You didn't think so because Peter had looked undisturbed when you woke. You sighed and got to work on making breakfast. When you were done, you poured a bowl for Peter. You went back to your cabin and saw that Peter was awake and sitting up. You smiled. "Good morning, Peter." Peter looked over and smiled sleepily. "Good morning, Miss __________." You handed him the bowl of oatmeal, which was what you had made for breakfast. "Thank you Miss _________.", Peter said gratefully. You smiled softly. "You're welcome Peter."

After leaving him to eat, you went to feed the rest of the crew. After filling bowls and handing them to the crew members, you realized that the Captain hadn't come down to eat. You filled a bowl with oatmeal and and went to his cabin. You knocked lightly on the door. There was a grumble of "Who is it?" from inside. "________.", you replied. You heard the door unlock and it opened. For some reason, Captain Beilschmidt looked angry, which he probably was. "Come in.", he sighed. You walked inside, handing him the bowl. "What's got you pissed off this morning?", you asked. "You didn't see the ship?", Captain Beilschmidt asked. You shook your head. The Prussian jerked his thumb towards the window. You walked over to the window and looked out. In the distance was a ship. Not any ship though, a crimson ship.

_~Flashback~  
"They say she paints the walls in her victims blood. I guess they say that because she has a crimson ship.", Charles told you.  
~End Flashback~ _

Your eyes widened. One word, a name, popped into your head. "Rosavetta...", you whispiered. "Ja. Go get the kid.", Beilschmidt ordered. You ran from the cabin, across the deck, down below and to her cabin. Peter had finished eating and was laying in bed. You grabbed your belt that held your weapons. You quickly put it on and picked up Peter, then hurried back to Captain Beilschmidt's cabin.

When you hurried in, you watched as he moved a rug that was beside his bed, revealing a hatch. He pulled open the hatch. "In there." You gently lowered Peter inside. "You too.", the Captain ordered. You shook your head. "I'm helping.", you said. He sighed. "Fine. Kid, stay put and stay quiet. Understand?" Peter looked up at him and nodded. Captain Beilschmidt closed the hatch and put the rug back over it. He then led the way out of the cabin and to the main deck, where the crew had gathered. The Captain pushed his way through to the front, you on his heels.

For a moment, Captain Beilschmidt just stood there, almost as if in disbelief that Captain Rosavetta's ship was really headed their way. You have him a small nudge with your elbow. That seemed to wake him up from his frozen state. Captain Beilschmidt turned to face his crew. "Alright men, go prepare for battle.", the pirate Captain ordered. The crew rushed off. He turned to you. "Stay close to me. If they start sinking the ship, get the kid and get on one of the small boats.If I don't make it through this, get Ludwig back for me, and held Francis and Antonio get Matthew, Feliciano and Lovino back.", Captain Beilschmidt said.

"Do you really trust me to do all that if you don't make it?", you asked. "Is there any reason I shouldn't?", the Captain asked. For some reason, it made you feel warm inside. "I guess not.", you replied. "And, you better be as good at fighting as you are with sassing me.", he added, but in a teasing manner. You smiled slightly. "Yes, sir."

Soon, the crimson ship was next to Captain Beilscmidts and the plank dropped to connect the two ships. The most beautiful woman stepped onto the plank and walked across. She had brown hair that fell to her shoulders. Her brown locks seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. Her eyes were as blue as sapphires, sparkling dangerously.She wore red pants and a gray top. She had a sash going from her right shoulder to her left hip. There was a belt around her waist, carrying a pistol and a sword. Her boots were as black a coal, but they shined in the sunlight. Her ears were pierced with golden hoops that seemed to shine silver if the light hit them at just the right angle. She walked with an arrogant grace. The slow rocking of the ships didn't effect her sure footed steps. So this is the famous Rosavetta?, you thought to yourself as you watched Rosavetta drop down from the plank and onto Captain Beilscmidt's ship with more grace than you had ever seen anyone move with. 

Even from where you stood, you could feel the arrogant aura around her. Just by the way she carried herself, it was easy to tell that she was arrogant and thought highly of herself. Self absorbed. But she had a deadly grace to her, a deadly angel. As Charles had said, the Devil's personal assistant. It wasn't a question as to why so many Captain were lured onto her ship with some ease. Rosavetta was stunning in every way, except her personality. But, based off of the stories you heard, that was to be expected.

As Captain Beilschmidt had ordered, you stayed close to him. Captain Rosavetta gave a tooth decaying smile, sweet, just as the rest of her to an unknowing person. "Captain Gilbert Beilschmidt.", she mused, "Long time no see." "I would have preferred to keep it that way.", the albino Captain replied. Captain Rosavetta laughed. Her laugh, along with the rest of her, was sweet. Too sweet. "You shouldn't be so harsh, Gilly.", she said, almost teasing him. "How many fucking times do I have to tell you not to call me that?", Captain Beilschmidt growled, though he had a light blush on his face.

The female Captain grinned. "Is Gilly-Willy still mad about the break up?", she said, using a childish tone. The Prussian smirked. "Not at all, besides, I recall that it was you who was crying and begging for another chance. Sorry, honey. I don't like whores." Rosavetta's eyes widened, the narrow dangerously. She then turned her glare on you. "Who's she?" "The cook.", the albino replied. "Does she service you at night?", Rosavetta sneered. "Not at all. She's not like you.", Captain Beilschmidt retorted. You began to feel uncomfortable, due to being the topic of conversation, but you didn't let it show. "Like I said, I don't like whores.", the albino said. Rosavetta glared at both Captain Beilschmidt and you. "Do you know how thin the ice you're standing on is?", Rosavetta growled.

"I'm sorry, Frau, but there is no ice around her to be standing on. Now, do us all a favor and leave my ship.", Captain Beilschmidt replied, his tone of mock politeness. She threw him a glare and stormed back onto her own ship. Then and there, you know, all hell was going to break loose.


	11. Part 11

You looked up at the Captain. You had never seen him look so pissed. Acutally, pissed was an understatement. There were no words to describe how angry he looked. Capatain Beilschmidt's turned and stormed away, barking orders at his crew. You followed him, following his orders to stay close to him. You felt like a lost puppy, a shadow, following him around like that. But, orders were orders and you had to follow them. 

Soon the battle began. Staying close to Beilschmidt, as ordered, you and the albino Captain stood back to back, Captain Beilschmidt fighting Captain Rosavetta and you were fighting Rosavetta's first mate, Gallyson, you had learned her name through all the yelling going on around you. Gallyson had long braided blonde hair, that even in a braid, fell down to the small of her back. She had gray eyes that blazed with hatred at the moment. She was a couple inches taller than you, but only by a couple of inches. Her skin was elegantly tanned, the toned muscles rippling in an elegant way under her skin. 

You had to admit, Gallyson was strong, stronger than you yourself, but she was slower, and surprisingly, not as skilled. The two swords, yours and Gallyson's, clashed together and you felt a shock run up your arm upon impact. You nearly stumbled back, but with Captain Beilschmidt's back pressed to yours, you couldn't fall. Gallyson retracted her sword and struck it out towards your chest. Normally, you would have ducked to dodge it, but it then would have hit Captain Beilschmidt. So, you swung your own sword and it connected with the crook of Gallyson's elbow.

Gallyson's eyes widened and she let out a cry of pain, the sword dropping from her hand. You put your sword back in it's sheathe, then grabbed Gallyson's uninjured arm, and twisted it behind her back, then did the same with her injured arm. "Orders Captain?", you called as Gallyson struggled in your grip. Captain Beilschimdt spared you a small glance. "To the brig." You quickly dragged Gallyson below deck and to the brig. You had a small problem getting her into the brig with all over her struggling, but you managed.

The (e/c) eyed girl pushed Gallyson into the cell, causing her to fall. You quickly shut the cell door and locked it. You rushed back up on deck and looked around for the Captain. Captain Beilschmidt was struggling as he fought Captain Rosavetta. You rushed over to help. As Rosavetta went to strike the unprepared albino, you threw your sword in front of Rosavetta's right as it was about to hit the male Captain. Rosavetta looked surprised and the albino male swept Rosavetta's feet from under her, causing the brunette to fall to the ground. 

Captain Beilschmidt was quickly on his feet once more and pointed his sword at her throat. Rosavetta's eyes went wide. All of the fighting around them ceased and stared at them, eyes wide.

You looked at Captain Beilschmidt. Just then, you realized all of the wounds he had. Blood was seeping through his clothes by his left shoulder and side. There was a lot of blood. 

A few crew members came over and hauled Rosavetta to her feet, then drug her as she kicked and screamed, to the brig. The rest of Rosavetta's crew fled back to the Crimson Death, Rosavetta's ship. Captain Beilschmidt and his crew yelled in victory.

By the time the Crimson Death had disappeared, you had finished cooking dinner and the crew was eating, and surprisingly, Captain Beilschmidt was sitting and eating with Peter. You filled two extra bowls with the soup you had made, then went to the brig. After carefully closing the door, you walked towards the cells where Rosavetta and Gallyson were being kept. They watched her with cold eyes filled with hatred. You handed them the bowls through the bars. After some hesitation, they both took the bowls. You thend turned and left the brig without a word. 

You returned to the galley and began washing the bowls the crew had left in the wash tub. _I wonder how Alfred is doing and if Gilbert's leg is any better. I hope having a dog named Gilbert and a friend named Gilbert doesn't get too confusing. Wait. Is Captain Beilschmidt really my friend? I'm not sure. We seem to be friends, but are we really?_ "_________." You jumped in surprise as you were torn from your thoughts, feeling as if your heart had jumped into your throat, and at the sound of the person's voice, you felt like you had butterflies in your stomach. You turned and saw Captain Beilschmidt standing there. No emotions. Don't fuck with me., you thought. "Yes, Captain?", you said. "Come to my cabin when you've finished.", he replied. You nodded. "Yes Captain." Captain smiled and nodded, then left the galley. You went back to washing.

When you finished, you left the galley and went to the Captain's quarters. Raising a hand, you lightly knocked on the door. "Come in.", the Captain called. You opened the door and walked inside. The albino Captain was sitting on his bed. You closed the door and walked over. "You wanted to see me?", you said. He nodded. "Ja, I did. I need some help to care for my wounds.", he said. You nodded. "Alright." He already had out the alcohol and the cloth. You helped him pull off his jacket and shirt. You were surprised. Captain Beilschmidt had a large gash on his shoulder and lower abdomen. Though, even though he had wounds and blood all over him, you couldn't help but to notice how toned his chest and abdomen was.

You poured some alcohol onto the cloth and began dabbing at the wound on his shoulder. Captain Beilschmidt took a sharp intake of breath, letting out a small hiss of pain afterwards. You remained silent as you gently cleaned his wound. Afterwards, you grabbed a long piece of cloth and wrapped it around his shoulder. Over, under, over. When you reached the end of the cloth, you fastened it so it wouldn't fall off. You cleaned the blood out of the cloth in a bucket of water. You rung out the blood-stained cloth and poured more alcohol on it. You got down on your knees beside the bed and began gently dabbing at the wound on his abdomen. Captain Beilschmidt lowly hissed in pain. You worked gently, but quickly.

When you finished cleaning the wound, you grabbed another long cloth and wrapped it, fastening the end so it would stay in place. You then stood. "Danke, Frau.", he said, which surprised the (e/c) eyed girl. "No problem. Captain.", you replied. "Let me see your hands.", he said. Slowly, you extended your hands out to him. Captain Beilschmidt gently unraveled the cloth from your hands. He looked over the cuts, making sure that they were healing properly. The albino seemed pleased and rewrapped your hands with clean cloths. You watched him warily. After having your hands rewrapped, you withdrew your hands from him. "Is that all you needed, Captain?", you asked. Captain Beilschmidt shook his head. "Nein." You waited for him to continue. "We're about to enter some dangerous seas. I'm moving Peter into the crew's hold. You'll be sleeping in here with me.

Your eyes widened, but before you could say anything, the albino Captain continued. "And, as much as I hate to say it, I won't be able to act as Captain until my wounds have healed. I need you to fill in as Captain until I can resume my duty." Your eyes widened even more. After a moment, you recomposed yourself. "Aye, Captain. I'll do my best.", you said in response. The Captain smiled. "You butter, but you must be careful. These seas are full of sirens. Keep an eye on the crew. If they seem to hear a siren, lock them below. I need you to keep mein crew safe.", he said. You nodded.

Captain Beilschmidt smiled softly and pat your head. You shied away from his touch., causing him to chuckle. You rolled your eyes.


	12. Part 12

Later that night, you walked into the Captain's quarters, eyes heavy from exhaustion after helping the crew clean the ship. You weren't exactly thrilled to have to sleep in the same room as Captain Beilschmidt, especially since you didn't entirely trust the albino man. You looked over at the Captain. He appeared to be sleeping. You let out a sigh, flopping down in the chair behind the Captain's desk.

"What are you doing, ________?" The Captain's voice caused the (e/c) eyed girl to jump and look over in surprise. The Captain was indeed awake, his ruby red gaze focused on you. "I'm sitting in your chair.", you replied after the initial shock wore away. "Why don't you come lay down?", he asked. "With you? I don't think so.", you said with a small sigh, leaning back in the chair. "Oh, come on. I don't bite...much.", he said with a laugh. You rolled your eyes. "I'm pretty comfortable here." Now it was the Captain's turn to roll his eyes. "Don't be so stubborn." 

He shifted, putting his hands behind his head, his gaze still focused on you. You just looked over at him calmly. "Too scared to come lay down?", the pirate Captain teased. You raised an eyebrow. "Should I be?" The albino smirked. "I don't know. Should you?" You let out an exasperated sigh. "Come on, you have to rest sometime.", Captain Beilschmidt said. "Sometime, just not right now.", you replied.

The Captain rolled let out a small groan of annoyance before shifting onto his side and closing his eyes. A few minutes later, you heard the soft snores of the now asleep Captain. You stayed up a little while longer, before falling asleep in the chair.

You woke early the next morning. After sleepily rubbing your eyes, you stood and left the Captain's quarters. You looked around the ship as you reached the main deck. You saw the crew working, the sun rising, and the calm waves in the sea, rocking the ship gently. Letting out a peaceful sigh, you went to check on Peter.

You went below deck and to the crew's quarters. You found Peter peacefully asleep in one of the hammocks. You walked over and gently lifted him into your arms. "Peter, it's time to wake up.", you said, shaking him gently. The young boy's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Hmm?", he hummed sleepily. You smiled gently. "Time to get up." Peter nodded drowsily, rubbing his eyes with a small fisted hand. You gently set him down and Peter stretched his arms with a yawn. You gently ruffled his hair with a soft smile. "Why don't you go help Pete make breakfast?", you suggested. The small boy smiled, nodded, and ran off. Chuckling, you made your way back up to the main deck.

You looked around, watching as the crew worked. You looked to the sky and sea. The sea was calm and the sky was fairly clear. There were a few stray white clouds, but that was it. The crew was working hard as the cleaned up the ship from the aftermath of the battle from the previous day. They weren't too fond of the idea of you acting in as Captain until Captain Beilschmidt was able to do so himself. So far the crew, except Pete and Charles, had been giving you a hard time. Questioning your orders and just about anything you did. But, you didn't really blame them. After all, you were a female Captain, or acting as one, on a ship full of men. You were just a random girl they happened to find while in port who happened to be good with a sword. You had no prior experience as a pirate, let alone a pirate Captain. 

Sighing, you turned and headed below deck after getting a bucket of water, some alcohol, and some cloth. You walked to the brig and inside. You headed to the cell Rosavetta and Galllyson were being kept in. The two women sat there, staring at you with cold eyes, burning with hatred. You calmly unlocked the cell door.

"What do you want?", Rosavetta hissed. "Would you rather leave your wounds untended to?", you responded calmly. You put the bucket of water in the cell, along with the alcohol and cloth before shutting and locking the cell door. Then you turned and left the brig.

With a small sigh, you headed up to the main deck. You lightly gripped the ruby red pendant that hung around your neck from a silver chain before tucking it under your shirt. When you ascended from below deck, you were met by a blast of salty sea air. You looked around as you stepped onto the deck.

Dark clouds were all around, the waves in the sea were rougher, rocking the ship more violently. You paused. You really didn't know what to do in this situation. You quickly moved across the deck, down the small hall, and into the Captain's quarters. The Captain lay in bed, asleep.

"Captain!", you shouted, causing the albino man to jolt awake. "What?", he asked groggily. "It's storming!", you responded. "Then why are you in here?! You should be out there ordering the crew!", the Captain exclaimed, sitting upright. "Because...Because I'm not sure what to do!", you cried.

Captain Beilschmidt let out a string of curses as he swiftly got up and rushed out past her, out to the main deck. By the time you got out there, the Captain was already shouting orders. He spun around and spotted you. "You go back to my quarters!", he ordered. "What for?!", you responded. You would have thought he would of used all the help he could get. "Just go!", he barked.

Letting out a huff, you turned to head back to his quarters. Not a moment later, a barrel rammed into you, knocking you over. Your head hit the floor with a sickening thud, knocking you unconscious.

Gilbert's P.O.V.

I yelled out a warning to ________, but it seemed that my voice was swallowed up by the wind. The barrel rolled into her, knocking her down. I flinched at the thud that sounded when her head hit the ground. I watched her for a moment, waiting for her to get up, but she didn't.

"Damn it.", I growled, hurrying over to her. I lifted her into my arms, as much as it hurt to do so, and carried her to my quarters. I gently set her on the bed before rushing out to help the crew.

Once the storm finally passed, I trudged to my quarters, thoroughly soaked by the rain. I sighed, moving to my chair and plopping down. I looked over and noticed ________ lying just as I left her, unconscious. 

After a moment, I stood and walked over, then sat on the edge of the bed. I gently inspected her head for any wounds, frowning when I found a gash on her forehead.

I stood and moved over to my desk. I pulled open a drawer, sifting through it until I found what I was looking for. I pulled out a bottle of alcohol and a few cloths. I pushed the drawer shut and walked back over to ___________. I sat back down on the edge of the bed by her and opened the bottle of alcohol. I poured some alcohol onto the cloth, then gently dabbed at the wound. She shifted, but didn't wake as I continued working, carefully cleaning the wound. Once I was done, I picked up another cloth and gently wrapped it around her head, part of it under her hair so it wouldn't fall off. Then I secured the cloth. Not long after I did secured the cloth, I passed out from exhaustion, falling onto the bed beside her.


	13. Part 13

Gilbert's P.O.V.  
When I woke the following morning, I looked over to where _________ lay beside me. The (e/c) eyed girl was still unconscious. With a sigh, I slowly got up, cringing due to the wounds from the previous battle with the infamous Rosavetta. With a shaky sigh, I moved from my quarters and out to the deck. The crew was already doing their usual jobs. At this point, I really wasn't sure what to do. We were in siren territory, I knew I had to keep an eyes on my crew. But, it was dangerous for me as well. But I am the Captain of this ship, and it is my job to protect my crew.

I moved across the deck, to where Pete was working, performing his usual duty. "_________ has yet to recover from her injury. Go prepare breakfast.", I said. The man nodded. "Aye, Captain.", he said before heading off. I then looked around. Where was the Kirkland kid? Must be below deck. With that thought in mind, I turned and headed below deck to the crew's quarters. There, I found the kid, sleeping in one of the hammocks. I walked over and grabbed the kid by the shoulder and lightly shook him. "Wake up.", I said. The blond boy's eyes slowly opened as his mouth gaped in yawn. "I got a job for you, kid.", I said. He seemed to instantly perk up at that. "I want you to go sit in my quarters with ________ until she wakes up. When she does, I want you to come tell me.", I said. The Kirkland boy nodded and hopped down from the hammock before scurrying off. I sighed, shaking my head before heading above deck.

Once breakfast was ready, I went down to the galley and ate with the crew. Afterwards, I grabbed two bowls of what had been made before heading to my quarters. I walked in to find the Kirkland kid just sitting on the bed, watching _______, who was still unconscious. "Here.", I said, holding the bowl out to the boy. Peter crawled to the end of the bed and sat down before taking the bowl from my hands. I set the other bowl on the desk. I sighed and moved back out onto the main deck.

Time seemed to pass too quickly. Two days had passed and _______ had yet to wake. I had Peter stay with her the entire time with the same instructions: Watch over her, and if she wakes, come tell me. But she hadn't woke. Not yet at least. My wounds from the previous battle were still healing at what felt like the slowest rate possible. It was the third day since the storm and it was beginning to get dark. I was standing at the wheel of the ship, watching the crew below as they worked. But something seemed a bit off. They kept moving closer and closer to the edge of the ship, seemingly as a subconscious action.

That's when I heard it. "Damn it all.", I growled. Why did this have to happen just as the sun was going down? "Everybody!", I yelled out to the crew. "Below deck this instant!" The crew seemed to jump, as if startled from a trance. But the order was followed, the entire crew quickly filing below deck. I hurried over and pulled the hatch over and quickly locked it. I could hear the confused murmurs of the crew. "Keep calm, men.", I said. "Siren are near. Find something to plug your ears and wait it out. You'll be let out once we've passed." "But what about you Captain?", one crew member called out. "Don't worry about me.", I responded. "Just do as you're told."

Reader's P.O.V.  
Your eyes slowly fluttered open and you let out a groan. Your head was killing you. What had happened? You couldn't exactly remember. "Ms. _______?" You slowly looked over and saw Peter sitting next to you. "Peter? What happened?", you asked. Peter looked down. "A few days ago, in the storm, you got knocked over by a barrel and hit your head on the deck. I guess it knocked you out. You've been asleep ever since.", he answered. You blinked. "A few days ago?" He nodded. "About three days ago, Ms. ______." You were certain surprised. You couldn't quite remember this happening either.

"The Captain said I had to tell him when you woke up, so I'll be right back.", Peter said, getting up. "I'll come with you.", you said, slowly getting up as well. You were a bit unsteady on your feet, but you quickly steadied yourself. "I'm not sure about that.", Peter said, "I'm sure the Captain wants you to rest." You smiled and gently pat Peter's head. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." You then walked with Peter out of the Captain's quarters. Just as you emerged onto the main deck, you saw something that you weren't even sure you could believe. You had just seen Captain Beilschmidt jump over the rail and off the ship.


	14. Part 14

Your eyes widened. Had that really just happened? You ran to the edge of the ship and looked down. All you could see what the Captain's head of white hair bobbing above the sea water. You turned back to Peter. "Go find the crew!", you said, a bit more harshly than intended. You didn't wait to see if he followed through with your order as you turned to look over the railing. You could only watch in horror as you watched him go below the water, as if he was dragged. Without thinking, you jumped over the edge into the water.

You hit the water with a splash, the sudden coldness shocking you for a moment. You opened your eyes and tried your hardest to see in the darkening water. The salty sea water burned your eyes, but you completely disregarded it. You spotted the Captain's white hair as well as... A tail? But you couldn't focus on that now. You swam as hard as you could after the Captain. But the faster you swam, it seemed as if Captain Beilschmidt was going twice as fast.

Then you noticed a sound. A terrible sound. A nails on a chalkboard kind of sound. It was horrible, screeching, and ear-piercing. You could see Gilbert's hair disappearing into the darkness. You pushed yourself harder. Unfortunately, you were running out of air. You had to go up to get air, but if you did, Gilbert would be lost to the depths of the oceans and whatever was dragging him under. But if you stayed down, both of you would drown. Sadly, you could no longer hold your breath and you were forced to the surface. When you broke the surface of the water, you were left panting and gasping for air.

Just as you were about to dive back down, you heard your name called. You turned to see Peter standing at the rail, looking down at you. "They're locked below!" "No keys?", you called back. You saw him shake his head. "Then find something to break the lock!" They keys must have been with Gilbert. You had to go back down and try again, so you did. You swam as hard as you possibly could, heading down as deep as you could. 

But, he was gone. There was no sight of his unusual white locks. You stayed down as long as you could, but you eventually had to come up for air. The sky was now dark blue and was rapidly fading to black. You felt panic rising in your chest. What were you going to do now? Gilbert was gone, the crew was locked below and Peter definitely wasn't strong enough to pull you back onto the ship. 

"________!" You turned at the sound of your name and you saw the crew standing at the rail of the ship. "Grab hold of the rope! We'll pull you up!", Charles called down to you. A moment later, a rope hit the water, right next to you. Without much other choice, you grabbed the rope and allowed yourself to be pulled back up onto the ship.

Once back on the ship, you hit the deck like a dead fish. You stared up at the dark sky, chest heaving, now cold due to being soaked to the bone. A moment later, a few of the crew members and Peter were standing over you. Pete grabbed your hand and pulled you up. But you couldn't stand, your legs currently useless. The pirate caught you in his arms. "Let's get you dried off before you get sick.", he said. "Someone go find some dry clothes!", he barked. One of the crew members ran off. Pete lifted you into his arms and carried you to the Captain's quarters and gently set you down in one of the chairs. Peter had followed, looking at you with big worried eyes. He sat down on the bed and watched. 

A moment later, there was a knock on the door and it creaked open and one of the crew members handed a bundle of clothes to Pete. Pete moved back over to you and knelt down in front of you. "Here, lass. Get changed. You'll get sick otherwise." The pirate then stood and picked up Peter before heading from the room. 

For a long moment, you just sat there. But slowly, you got up on trembling legs and stripped down to your bra and panties before putting on a shirt that was too big and shorts that mostly fit. You tossed your wet clothes in a heap on the floor when your phone fell out. You stared at it for a moment before going over and picking it up, then hiding it in a drawer of the Captain's desk. Then you slumped back down into the chair. 

Soon enough, there was a knock on the door. "Done changing, lass?", called Pete. "Yeah.", you answered half-heartedly. A moment later, Pete walked in, without Peter. He sat down on the chair beside you. "Can you tell me what happened?", he asked. "I don't really know.", you began. "After being out for a few days, I had finally woke up. Peter said he had to go tell the Captain that I was awake, so I went with him. Just as we got to the main deck...I saw him jump off the ship. I ran over and looked down..I could see him, just floating above the water... and a moment later, he was being dragged under....So I jumped in. I tried to swim after him...but whatever had him was too fast. And then I heard a terrible sound. It was high-pitched screeching...And I ran out of air...so I had to come back to the surface...I went back down to see if maybe I could get to him...but he was gone..." You hadn't realized it, but you had tears in your eyes and they were running down your cheeks, and dripping off your chin to your lap.

Pete frowned and sighed, moving to your side and pulling you into a gentle embrace. "Caught by sirens...He was a good man...Putting others before himself. He locked us below to keep us safe. I assume that he was going to try to steer the ship out of siren territory...but I guess their songs got to him." The pirate let out another sigh. "You should rest. Between all of that swimming you just did and your head injury, you need it. I'll be back to check on you in the morning." 

With that said, Pete stood and moved from the room. You sat there for a long while before Peter came in, looking at you with big, worried, blue eyes. With a sigh, you stood. "Come on, Peter, let's try to get some rest." You moved over to the bed and sat down. Peter scurried over and crawled up onto the bed. You watched over Peter, waiting for him to fall asleep. Once he was asleep, you laid down and stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours, but eventually, exhaustion took over and you feel into a troubled sleep.


	15. Part 15

The sounds of shrill screaming and crashing waves filled your ears. You jolted up out of bed and looked around with wide eyes. Peter was gone. You quickly jumped up and ran from the room and looked around.There was a storm raging, the ship rocking back and forth violently. The crew was scrambling around to batten down the hatches. You froze. What was going on? Where had this storm come from? You felt so confused and 

Then you heard the same horrible cry you had heard while trying to rescue Gilbert from the sirens. You couldn't pinpoint where the sound was coming from. It was like it was coming from all directions. Sudden crew members began jumping off the ship. You ran to the edge and looked down.You saw the crew men just before they were pulled below the violent waves of the ocean. You saw scaly tails splash above the surface for a brief moment before disappearing into the dark waters.

The ship hit a rather rough wave and you were tossed off the ship. You hit the water and the blast of icy cold water stunned you. You looked around wildly.You saw water bubbling up beside you. A moment later, a head popped up. You nearly screamed. It was Gilbert. But he was...different. You couldn't explain it. It looked exactly like him, but he seemed off. He had no shirt on. He bared his teeth in a toothy grin. He held his hand out to you. "Come with me ________.", he said, "And we can be together." You hesitated. "Oh, come on, Frau.", he said, extending his hand out further to you. "You trust me, right?" You hesitated another moment before slowly placing your hand in his. A moment later, he pulled you under and deep into the ocean.

You shot up, eyes wide, chest heaving. That nightmare...It felt so real. You looked up to see Peter and Charles standing over you, looking at you with worried expressions. "You okay?", Charles asked, "That seemed like one hell of a nightmare." You sighed shakily, taking deep breaths to help calm yourself down. That was one hell of a nightmare. It felt so real. Slowly you nodded in response to Charles' question. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

"I've told the crew what's happened.", he said with a sigh. "Since the Captain had you act as a Captain in his place, I guess it's up to you to act as Captain now." He paused. "And, well, the crew wants to know if we'll stay on course to rescue Ludwig from Captain Kirkland." You nodded. "We are." He nodded. "I'm going to let you rest.", he said before leaving the room, Peter following.

You sighed and stood, moving to sit at the Captain's desk. You looked at the desk. The map was still laid out on the desk, marks maid to show the route they were taking to intercept Captain Kirkland's ship. Also on the desk were the two letters delivered by Gilbert's little bird from Captain Bonnefoy and Captain Carriedo. You hesitated before picking one up, the one from Captain Bonnefoy. You unrolled it and read what it said.

It read:  
Dear Gilbert,   
Captain Kirkland has taken Matthieu from me. I would like to join you on your journey to rescue Ludwig and to get Matthieu back as well. Please, my friend, allow me to join you. Please meet me at the port of Les Sables d'Olonne in France.  
Sincerly, Francis Bonnefoy

You slowly set it down before picking up the one from Captain Carriedo. It held pretty much the same information, saying that Lovino and Feliciano had been taken from him and that he'd be waiting at the port in France with Captain Bonnefoy. You slowly set the letter down and stared down map laid out on the desk. You looked at it for a long while before standing and moving from the room to the main deck. You looked around. "Charles!", you called once you spotted the man. He looked over before moving towards you. "What is it?", he asked. 

You motioned for him to follow as you headed back into the Captain's quarters. "Can you show me our position on this map?", you asked. Charles let out a hum before pointing at a spot on the map. "Now, can you show me where the Les Sables d'Olonne port is?" He then pointed to a spot a little higher on the map. "Why do you ask?", he asked. You gave a small nod before saying. "We need to change course. Head to Les Sables d'Olonne port."


	16. Part 16

You sighed, leaning back in the chair. A few days had passed and you were getting close to the Les Sables d'Olonne port in France. You would have to meet with the two pirate Captains. What would you tell them? How exactly does someone explain that their friend had been killed by sirens? Running a hand through your hair, you stood and moved from the room. It was a nice sunny day with a soft, cooling breeze. The sun had risen a couple hours ago and soon the intensity of the heat will increase. In the distance, you could see the Les Sables d'Olonne port. There were quite a few ships, from what you could see, so it shouldn't be too hard to blend in.

It was about an hour later when you arrived and safely docked in port. You had looked at the letters once again, but found no indication as to where you were supposed to meet the two pirate Captains. You had already met them, well, seen them once. That was on the day you had found Peter in the brig. They hadn't stayed long, they must have just been passing by, but you weren't entirely sure, because they were gone the next day before the battle with Rosavetta.

You stood, watching as the crew finished securing the ship. You saw Graydon, a rather quiet man who Peter had taken quite the liking to. You made your way over to him. "Graydon.", you called to get the blond pirate's attention. Said pirate turned from his work. "Yes?" "I want you to keep a very close eye on Peter while we're in port.", you said. He gave a nod of affirmation. "Aye, mi'lady." You nodded, then turned and walked away.

For the next ten minutes, you explained to the crew the basic situation. You had to go meet with the two pirate Captains, Charles would be going with you, everyone else would remain to guard the ship and all would leave after sun fall. Of course, there were some complaints about not being able to leave the ship. So in return, you told them that if they left the ship, you would leave them behind. 

After all was said, you moved to leave the ship, Charles following. As you moved off the dock, the pirate moved to walk next to you. "Do you even know where you're supposed to meet them?", he questioned. You gave a simple shake of your head, "Not a clue. There was no indication in the letters they had sent as to where to meet. I can only assume that Beilschmidt had come here before, and they all knew where to meet up. I can only hope that they're still in port.", you responded.

After that, conversation between the two of you died out for now as you moved through the bustling port. Even though it was fairly early in the day, many people were out. Merchants and shop owners were opening for the day, children running around and playing, adults doing their morning shopping for that day's meals. But the streets weren't too crowded, thankfully.

For a while, the two of you wandered around port, pausing to take a look at merchants' goods and visiting some of the shops, simply to help pass time. Still, you had to keep an eye out for the two pirate Captains that you were searching for. It wasn't until the sun was high and heat was nearly blazing when you finally spotted the two you were looking for. You had seen them just before they disappeared into a pub. "Charles,", you said, catching the male's attention, "I just saw them go into the pub up ahead." The pirate gave a nod in response, walking with you as the two of you headed towards the pub.

The closer you got to the pub, the more nervous you got. How would you explain to the two that there friend had fallen to the claws of sirens? How would they react? What would happen from there? A hand fell on your shoulder and you looked over to the pirate next walking next to you. He gave you a small smile, seeming that he had sensed your nervousness and was trying to help calm you.

Letting out a shaky sigh, you walked into the pub, the pirate trailing after you. You paused after entering the building, looking around for the two Captains. You spotted them, sitting at a table in the far corner. Taking a deep breath, you began walking towards them. 

Once you got close, one of the two Captains, Captain Carriedo, noticed you and Charles approaching. He looked at you for a long moment before a smile appeared on his face. "Hola, chica!", he called out to you in greeting, waving his hand. Captain Bonnefoy turned to see who his friend was waving to. A gentle smile appeared on his face when he saw who it was. "Bonjour, ma belle fille." Even though to two Captains were smiling, you couldn't bring yourself to do the same. Antonio tilted his head, "Where's Gil?", he asked, noticing the missing presence of his albino friend.

You were pretty sure that your facial expression had changed to show how you felt; sad and frustrated. It didn't escape the notice of the two pirate Captain's either. "What's wrong?", the blond pirate asked. You hesitated a moment. How could you tell them that their friend was gone? You took a deep, shaky breath before you spoke. "Captain Beilschmidt is gone." You watched the concerned expressions of Antonio and Francis change to confusion, shock and sadness. "Wh-What do you mean 'gone'?", Captain Carriedo asked after a few prolonged moments of silence. At this point, you couldn't look at them anymore and focused your gaze down at the toes of your boots. "He was taken by sirens.", you answered.

You could hear Antonio choking on his breaths, trying to keep in the sobs that threatened to leave him. Francis was completely silent. You let out a sigh. "I'm sorry.", you said, voice soft. "What reason do you have to be sorry?", Francis asked, voice a void of emotion. "I tried to save him, but I wasn't able to..", you answered. You heard the quiet squeak of a chair being pushed back before you felt gentle, muscled arms wrap around you in a comforting embrace. "You don't need to be sorry about that. I don't think anyone could've saved him.", Francis murmured gently. A moment later, a second pair of arms enveloped the both of you. 

Moments passed of the three of you standing there, wrapped in each other's arms. When you did finally disentangle from one another, you all sat down at the table that was previously occupied by the two pirate Captains. "So what do we do now?", Antonio asked. "The only thing we can do.", you replied softly, "Move forward and rescue the kids from Captain Kirkland."


	17. Part 17

After sending Charles off to go make sure no one was screwing around on the ship, you sat with the two Pirate Captains to plan. After talking for a good while, it was decided that they would all take one ship to go after Kirkland, Francis' to be exact. According to the Frenchman, Captain Kirkland was less likely to start firing at his ship, and Antonio agreed. Though the three of you had no real plan as to what to do if you were able to talk to the Captain. The only thing you could do was offer a trade, Peter for Ludwig, Matthew, Feliciano and Lovino.

After this was decided, the three of you set of to the ship you had been handling in Gilbert's absence to retrieve Peter. You walked up on the ship to find the main deck deserted, but you could hear them all talking below. You headed down below, the two pirate Captains following closely. You found them all sitting around together. They were quite loud and didn't notice the three of you enter the room. You could only pick up parts of their conversations.

"...women shouldn't captain a ship."  
"But we don't have any other captain.."  
"..We'll just have to find a captain amongst ours..."  
"...no one....hardly fit..."

You let out a sigh. You knew you should have expected this from them. Honestly, who could blame them? According to legend, women on the ship were bad luck, it was probably worse that one was acting in as Captain.

"Well, if you're so sure you can captain yourselves, go for it.", you said above the noise of their chatter, which immediately quieted down. "I have no use for a ship full of men who doubt their real Captain so much." "We don't doubt Captain Beilschmidt in the slightest!", one of the men called out. "Then you wouldn't doubt the one he left in charge.", you retorted. You paused, allowing for someone to retort, but no one did. "Where's Peter?", you asked after a few moments of silence. "With Graydon in the Captain's quarters." With a nod, you turned to move above deck, but you paused before leaving the room. "I'm going to be leaving for a bit. What you do is your decision. I will be coming back. But it's up to you as to whether or not you stay.", you stated before heading above deck. 

"I'll be just a moment.", you told the two pirate Captains. You made your way over to the Captain's quarters, pausing to give a small knock before moving inside. Peter looked up when you entered. "Miss _________!" You smiled softly. "Let's go, Peter. We'll be taking you back to your brother." Peter's eyes lit up and he jumped up from his spot on the bed. "Really?!", he practically squeaked. You, in return, nodded, "Really." Peter smiled widely, jumping up and running over to you, latching onto your legs. With a chuckle, you lifted Peter into your arms. "Thank you for keeping an eye on him, Graydon.", you said before turning and heading out, back to where the two pirate Captains were waiting.

After briefly speaking with the two Captains, you headed back to Francis' ship. Once on his ship, Francis turned to you and Antonio. "You can go sit in my quarters for now.", he said. With a nod, you followed Captain Carriedo to Francis's quarters. The room was nice and clean. There was a desk, a couple chairs, a bed, and a wardrobe. 

Days passed uneventfully. You remained on Captain Bonnefoy's ship, in search of Captain Kirkland. So far, there hadn't been a sighting of it, until today.


	18. Part 18

Francis' P.O.V.  
Upon spotting the ship of Arthur Kirkland, Francis shooed ________ and Antonio off to his quarters. The crew scurried about to follow orders that they had bee previously given for when Arthur's ship came into view. Most of the crew went below deck, a few went to raise a flag, signaling peace, others standing by if they were needed. Now, Francis could only hope that Arthur would keep the peace. He watched, waiting, until finally, a flag rose on Arthur's ship, signaling peace. He let out a sigh of relief.

Once the ships were side by side, a board was dropped, connecting the two ships. Francis watched as Arthur hopped up onto the board and crossed to his ship, looking quite the opposite of friendly. "You better have a good reason for stopping me, frog.", the Englishman growled. Francis frowned. "I believe I have a very good reason.", he responded. "I have a deal for you; well, a trade." Arthur raised an eyebrow, which Francis would have commented on if it were not for the seriousness of the situation. "A trade?", Arthur inquired. Francis nodded. "Oui, a trade. Simply put, I have something you want, and you have something I want."

The frown on Arthur's face deepened. "Go on.", he pressed. Francis was quiet a moment before speaking, "You want your brother, and we want ours." He watched as the color drained from Arthur's face. Arthur opened his mouth to speak, but Francis cut him off, "I know, it may not seem like a fair trade. One child for four. But it's not about equivalence. It's about get the ones we love returned to us. You want Peter, I want Matthieu, Antonio wants Lovino and Feliciano, and Gilbert wanted Ludwig. We've taken our feud too far by taking children. Let's just set this right."

Arthur was quiet for a long moment, seeming to be processing what Francis had said. Finally, the Englishman nodded, turning to his crew. "Bring out the children.", he said before turning back to Francis. Then it seemed as if something hit him. "What do you mean 'Gilbert wanted'?" 

Francis sighed. He hesitated to answer. Would it be a good idea to tell him? While it was true that Francis had been friends with Arthur when they were children, along with Antonio and Gilbert, they did have a fairly bad falling out. After a moment of contemplating, he decided that Arthur deserved to know what happened to their childhood friend. "He's gone.", he said, "He had been taken by sirens." He watched as Arthur's face turned from faint curiosity to shock to despair. "You...you can't be serious...", Arthur said, the devastation of losing a childhood friend clear in his voice. Francis sighed, "I wish I wasn't." 

It did kind of hurt him to see Arthur so upset. They had been close as children, Francis had doted on him as if he were a little brother. And Francis still cared for him, that hadn't changed at all. To Francis, Arthur was still like a little brother to him, and Arthur was just going through a really long rebellious phase. That's what he hoped, what he wanted to believe. He didn't want to believe that the boy he cared so much for really hated him as much as he claimed. 

Francis walked up to Arthur and hugged him. It hadn't been a conscious action. His brotherly instincts had just taken over and he felt the need to comfort him. Arthur didn't say anything, and surprisingly didn't pull away. He didn't return the hug, keeping his hands at his sides, resting his forehead against Francis' shoulder. Francis soothingly rubbed his back in an attempt to comfort him. Their embrace was cut short as one of Arthur's men, Alistair, came back, crossing to Francis' ship, the four children in tow. 

Francis knelt down as the four children ran up to him, opening his arms and holding them in a tight embrace. The children were shaking in his arms. Francis cooed softly to them, holding the close and trying to soothe them. He turned to his own crew member. "Go get Peter.", he said. As the crew member went to do as he was ordered to do, Francis turned back to the children in his arms. Matthew and Feliciano were crying, and Lovino and Ludwig appeared like they were trying not to cry. Francis pressed a kiss to each child's forehead, murmuring soft words of comfort. 

He looked up when his crew member came back with Peter, the child immediately running to his brother and hugging onto his legs. He turned back to the children in his arm. "Matthieu.", he said gently, "I want you to go with Ludiwg, Lovino, and Feliciano to my room, okay?" The blond boy nodded, "Oui." Francis watched as Matthew took Feliciano's and Lovino's hands and began leading the three boys to Francis' quarters. Francis stood and turned to look at Arthur. Arthur was knelt down, hugging his little brother tightly. Francis slowly walked over to the two. "Arthur.", he said gently. The blond pirate looked up at Francis before standing. "Yes?" "I hope that one day, we can put what happened behind us and end this feud, so we can be close again." After saying what he had to say, Francis turned and walked away, heading to his quarters. "Francis!" He heard Arthur call out to him, but he kept walking, knowing his crew would see Arthur and his crew off his ship.

Your P.O.V.  
You looked over as Francis came in. A few minutes ago, the four boys had come in, Lovino and Feliciano hugging onto Antonio, who was holding him close and cooing soothing words to them, Matthew was laying on his brother's bed, wrapped up in the blankets, and Ludwig was sitting in your arms. When Francis came in, Matthew jumped out of the bed and ran to his brother, who immediately picked him up and hugged him close. You shared a glance with Francis and Antonio. You knew that Ludwig would have to learn about his brother eventually, but none of you were exactly ready to tell him. 

Days passed before you returned to the port where you had left Gilbert's ship docked. You left the ship after biding farewell to Captain Carriedo and Captain Bonnefoy, as well as Matthew, Feliciano, and Lovino. You walked along the port, heading to where you had left Captain Beilschmidt's ship. You know you had to tell Ludwig of his brother's fate, but you couldn't bring yourself to do it, and you knew you would have to explain why Gilbert wasn't on his ship.

You walked onto the ship and froze. Were you seeing things? Did you really miss Gilbert that much? This couldn't be real, right? But when Ludwig squealed out, "Bruder!", you knew that this couldn't be anything but real. You watched as Ludwig ran up to Gilbert, who turned and smiled wide, scooping up his little brother and hugging him tight. You stood there, frozen in shock and confusion. You had seen Gilbert get dragged away, deeper into the ocean, there was no way he could have survived being in the middle of the ocean even if he had managed to escape the sirens. And from your understanding, it wasn't possible for a male caught within their grasp to escape. But upon examining what you could see of Gilbert, he hadn't gotten away without any scars. You could see a scar along his cheek bone, another going over his eyes, from where you point didn't look injured, and another along the side of his neck, starting just below his ear and gently slopping towards the space between his clavicle.

You couldn't find it in yourself to approach him. You didn't want to ruin the moment between the two reuniting brothers. It was a very touching and heartfelt moment, and it wasn't your place to mess it up. So instead, you silently moved past the two brothers, to Gilbert's quarters. You shut yourself inside and moved to the window to look outside. You had been here a long time, you had been here for nearly two months by this point. Soon you would be leaving and going back to your own time, back to Alfred, back home. You would be able to enjoy the comforts you took for granted before, to be able to hang out with your friends, sleepovers with Alfred. 

During your time you made quite a few friends, Charles, Pete, Peter, Francis, Antonio, and Gilbert. And within a couple days, this will be nothing more than a memory. You wouldn't see any of the friends you made here again, you wouldn't see Peter grow up, or Ludwig, or Feliciano and Lovino, or Matthew. You wouldn't know what would become of any of your friend's fates. Of course you knew you had altered history, but how much exactly? Had it had a major change on your time or was it something minimal? You would find out soon enough. But you weren't ready to. You weren't ready to leave your newly found friends. But, you would have to. You couldn't stay here, you had to go back to your own time, as much as it saddened you to do so.

"________." You turned at the sound of someone saying your name. Gilbert was standing there by the door, a gentle smile resting on his lips. Strangely, Ludwig wasn't with him. You couldn't bring yourself to say anything, you didn't even know what to say. "Hey now.", he said, moving over to you, "There's no need to be crying." Crying? You hadn't noticed the tears running down your face or the tightening feeling in your throat as you held back sobs that threatened to break out at any time. Gilbert gently pulled you into his arms and you broke down. You sobbed into his chest, clutching his shirt in your hands. You felt a hand gently rubbing your back, a pair of lips on your forehead, heard the soft murmur of "It's okay." in your ear. You didn't know how long the two of you stood like that, Gilbert comforting you while you cried.


	19. Part 19

You found that you couldn't feel happy. But why? You were finally going home, Gilbert had his brother back, Peter was back with Arthur. So, shouldn't you be happy? Shouldn't you be wishing that nightfall came sooner, so you could get home to your family and friends? Isn't that what you should hope for rather than wishing that the day would never end? That you could stay here forever? Here, on this ship, by Gilbert's side? Staying to watch Ludwig grow up? So why is it that you wish for that rather than wishing to be home sooner? 

Two months, you thought that it would feel like forever, like years would pass before two months' worth of time would. So why did two months feel like only a handful of days? Why did it feel like you were leaving too soon? Why did your heart ache at the thought of leaving Gilbert? That you wouldn't see him again? Why does it ache when you should be feeling overjoyed to be going back to your own time? Why did it feel wrong to leave? 

Not much time had passed since you had returned to Gilbert's ship with Ludwig. It had only been a couple of days. Ever since then, you couldn't seem to get out of this terrible saddened mood. The crew has been overjoyed, asking for stories of what happened after he had been taken away by the sirens. You hadn't wanted to know, so you didn't stick around when the stories began. You couldn't bare to hear it. Charles had said that some of the stories weren't that bad, and that you should listen to the pirate Captain's tales, but you couldn't bring yourself to do so. To know what had happened, what you could've prevented... the scars visible on Gilbert's body were enough of a reminder, you didn't need to hear the stories. 

Even thought Gilbert had been very grateful that you had attempted to save him, he had told you the first night he returned, he said that he was glad that you weren't able to get close. The sirens would have attacked you and wouldn't waste any time killing you right then and there. Of course, you knew what he said was true, and that it was probably best that you hadn't been able to get close to him as he was being dragged deeper into the depths of the sea, you couldn't help but feel the guilt gnawing away at your conscious at every waking, and sleeping moment. Nightmares plagued your dreams, they have ever since the sirens had taken Captain Beilschmidt away, and it was impossible to get rid of them. 

Ever since the Captain's return, you began sleeping in the room he gave you when you first arrived. You spent a lot of time sitting in the crow's nest with Charles, just staring off blankly across the expanse of ocean surrounding you. It was the day after you returned to the ship with Ludwig when you had left the Les Sables d'Olonne port. Gilbert had gone to see his friends after you had told him that both Antonio and Francis knew what had happened with the sirens.

And today, it was like the past few days. You were sitting up in the crow's nest, staring out over the ocean. Charles wasn't with you, he was eating lunch with the crew. You were alone. And you were okay with that. The sooner you distance yourself, the easier it will be to leave, right? You won't hurt as much to leave if you don't get any closer, right? You could only hope, but you knew, deep down, that it would hurt like hell to leave. And you knew that you had to return to your own time, but you found yourself not wanting to. Sure, you didn't want to leave Alfred, as well as your other family and friends, not knowing what happened to you. You wondered what Alfred had told them when all this had started. 

"Hey." You jumped from surprise. You hadn't noticed someone come up here, let alone sit next to you. You looked over to see Captain Beilschmidt sitting next to you. "Hey.", you replied softly, turning to look out over the sea once more. You felt an arm being placed around your shoulders and pull you close. "What are you doing up here all by yourself? Aren't you hungry?", he asked. You just silently shook your head. You couldn't even think of eating right now. Not with this battle going on in your head. "Hey now.", he said gently, "I can tell you're pretty upset that you'll be leaving soon, but...but you can't let that way you down. I am your past. Thats just how things are. I'm a pirate from the old days, and you're someone of the new. Sure, once you leave we won't be able to see each other again, but I'm glad we were able to meet. You've done so much for me, and I'm very grateful to you. I want.... Will you promise me something?" You looked over and nodded. "Of course.", you replied. "Promise...Promise me that you'll never forget me or your time here." "I promise.", you said without any hesitation. You knew you would never forget this experience. And you certainly would never be able to forget Gilbert, even if you wanted to. A smile spread across the Captain's lips. "Good, that makes me feel a bit better.", he replied, a small chuckle following. 

A short silence fell over the two of you. It wasn't awkward, it was peaceful. Gilbert had that affect. He could soothe your nerves and put your mind at ease with just his presence and a few words. You couldn't understand why he had such an affect on you, but he did. "I don't want you to be sad.", he said, finally breaking the silence. "We're not from the same time, we were never meant to know one another. You should go on with your life as usual. Don't let our meeting hold you back. Even if I'm not with you, I want you to be happy." You sighed, leaning your head against his shoulder. "How can I not be sad? I've made so many friends in this time and now, I have to leave you all behind, I'll never see any of you again..." You felt Gilbert press a kiss to your forehead, "I know, I know, but you have your own life to live. You don't need to be held back by anyone, especially someone like me. I want you to be happy." "I know.", you replied softly, "But how can I be happy knowing that I'll never see people I've grown to care so much about again? How can I be happy knowing that when I go back to my time, everyone I've grown to love here, is gone..." Gilbert was quiet for a few moments before speaking, "You have friends in your time, don't you? Let them make you happy, happier than anyone here. So you-" "That's not going to happen.", you cut him off, then said in a voice close to a whisper, "No one could make me happier than you."

Gilbert went quiet again, not speaking for a few long moments. "Do I really make you that happy?", he asked finally. You just nodded quietly, looking down at your lap. "I've never been happier." Gilbert sighed, keeping you close. "C'mon, __________, you're making it harder on yourself to leave.", he said quietly, "I can't say that I want you to go, but...but you belong in your time. It's just how things should be." "It's not how I want things to be." Slowly, you reached over and grabbed his hand in yours, holding it tightly, "I don't want to leave you." Gilbert gently gripped your hand, "I know, Frau, but we can't help the circumstances. This is just how things are."

From then on out, the two of you sat in silence, holding hands with your head on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around you. Time seemed to pass a lightning speed. Soon enough, the moon was rising into the sky, full and glowing brightly. "_______.", he said, getting your attention. You slowly lifted your head from his shoulder to look at him. "Yes?" The next couple of things happened so fast, it took you a moment to process exactly what happened. You felt a hand on your cheek, a pair of warm, chapped lips on your own. The kiss, it only lasted a few short, too short, moments. 

Before you could even say anything, the necklace hanging around your neck began glowing. Gilbert gave you a sad smile, "Good bye, _________. Ich liebe dich." A flash of white crossed your eyes and you couldn't see for a few moments. Once you regained your sight, you found yourself in the darkness of Alfred's living room. This is it...you were home. And Gilbert... was gone...


	20. Part 20

You stood there for a long moment in complete darkness, in a daze. You were home, you almost couldn't believe it. You should be happy that you were home, so why did a deep sadness weigh down on your heart? Why did your heart cry out for you to go back? Why did it feel so _wrong_ to be home? The answer was simple. Because Gilbert wasn't here. But why was that? How was Gilbert the cause of this terrible feeling? _Because I love him._ , you thought, realization hitting you like a freight train. Tears began rolling quickly down your face without your knowledge. You collapsed down to your knees in the middle of Alfred's living room floor and sobs began tearing their way out of your chest, ugly, gut-wrenching sobs. You buried your face in your hands. Why had it taken so long for you to realize your love of Gilbert? Why hadn't you known earlier? Why now? 

Too consumed by your own thoughts, your sobs drowning out all other sounds, you didn't notice the lights coming on or hear the footsteps of your longtime friend running to your side. You didn't notice until he enveloped you in tight hug, pulling you to his chest and running fingers soothingly through your hair while rubbing your back in comforting circles. You clutched Alfred's shirt tightly in your hands, sobbing into his chest. 

You weren't sure how much time passed like that, Alfred holding you in his arms as you cried your heart out. But Alfred was very patient with you, whispering soothing things to you as he let out get it all out. Eventually calmed down and slowly pulled away from your friend, rubbing the leftover tears from your eyes. "Are you okay?", Alfred asked gently. You gave a small shaky nod in return. As much as you wanted to tell your best friend everything that happened, you couldn't, not just yet at least. Alfred gently ran a hand over your hair. "Do you want anything to eat, a drink?", he asked. You shook your head. "I...I think I just need some sleep.", you answered. Alfred nodded and stood, then helped you to your feet. "Let's get you to bed then.", he said, leading you from the living room and down the hall. "Do... Do you mind if I stay with you tonight?", you asked softly, looking down at the floor as you walked along next to Alfred. "Of course I don't mind.", was Alfred's answer. Alfred gently steered you into his room. "Do you want to take a shower first?", he asked. As much as you desperately wanted a shower, you shook your head. "In the morning.", you said. Alfred nodded, gently sitting you on his bed. "Are you sure you don't need anything?", he asked. You just nodded silently in response. You laid down on the bed after removing your shoes, and Alfred covered you with the blankets. You fell asleep in no time.

A week passed since you've returned. You had gone back to your home with you dog, Gilbert, and, well, nothing was really the same. You didn't go out anymore besides Gilbert's walks. When you weren't caring for your beloved dog, you just stayed curled up in the dark of your room. You had told Alfred all that had happened, because he wouldn't leave you alone about it until you did. You occasionally answer calls or texts from Alfred, but that was it. And now was one of those times. You heard your new phone ringing. You ended up having to get a new one, the other was too far gone after your attempt to rescue Gilbert from the sirens. You picked it up and answered, already knowing who it was. "Hey, Al.", you said. Your voice was dull and lifeless. It had been that way ever since you returned. "Hey, ________. Mind if I come over? I got a surprise for you, well... a lot of surprises." You sighed softly. Alfred had been showing up nearly everyday with 'surprises' to help cheer you up. "Yeah, yeah, I don't mind. Just let yourself in when you get here.", you answered. "Great! See you soon!" Then he hung up. You set your phone aside with a sigh. 

About an hour later, you heard your door open. With a sigh, you slowly moved to pull yourself out of bed. Before you could even get up, your bedroom door flung open, revealing Alfred. He had a large grin plastered to his face. Slowly, you stood. Alfred moved over to you. "Ready for your surprise?" You let out a sigh, "As ready as I'll ever be." Alfred wrapped an arm around your shoulders and put his free hand over your eyes. "Alright, my dear ______. No peeking until I say, 'kay?" You rolled your eyes, closing them. "Alright." You allowed Alfred to guide you to wherever it was he was taking you. Eventually, you came to a stop and Alfred removed his hand from over your eyes. "Ready?", he asked. You could hear how excited he was. "I guess.", you answered. "Open your eyes.", he said. You could practically _hear_ him smiling. You slowly opened your eyes. You froze, your eyes widening. You weren't seeing things, were you? There was no way that there were eight familiar nine standing in your living room. 

Gilbert stood there, his signature smirk on his face. Beside him, stood a very familiar male who had blonde hair and ice blue eyes. On Gilbert's other side stood Francis, a pleasant smile on his face. Beside, but slightly behind, him stood another familiar male. He had wavy blonde hair with a curl sticking out of the side and violet eyes. Beside him stood Antonio, who had a wide smile and had his arms wrapped around the shoulders of two men, presumably twins, one with lighter hair and a big smile, the other with darker hair and hazel eyes, both adorning curls that stuck out on opposite sides. Beside them stood another male with blonde hair and deep blue eyes, and beside him, stood Arthur.

You couldn't believe your eyes. There was no way that they were all standing before you. But, they were. Gilbert stepped forwards, opening his arms in an invitation for a hug. You ran to him and hugged onto him tightly. Gilbert wrapped his arms around you in a tight embrace. You trembled, trying not to burst into tears. Gilbert held you tight, running his fingers through your hair. "It's good to see you made it home safely.", Gilbert said softly, pressing a kiss to the top of your head, "I missed you." Gilbert pulled you back a bit to look down at your face. When you looked up at him, he gave you a soft smile, gently cupping your face in his hands, his thumbs gently stroking your cheeks as he held your gaze with loving red eyes. He then leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to your lips. He held the kiss for only a moment or two before pulling away. A light blush tinted your cheeks red, as well as Gilbert's. Gilbert pulled you close and hugged you once again, holding you close.

You had never been so happy. You had taken in all of the former pirates, allowing them to stay in your home. They quickly adjusted to the new technology, well, some more than others. You got to catch up with them about all that had happened after you left. You and Gilbert grew closer and closer, soon sharing your bed. Feliciano and Ludwig shared a room, as per Feli's request. Lovino shared a room with Antonio. Francis and Arthur roomed together, and Matthew got his own room. Peter had decided he wanted to stay with Alfred. According to Alfred, the boy seemed to enjoy video games almost as much as he did. 

You and Gilbert were happy together, and the more you thought about, all of this wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Alfred.


End file.
